ned his companions as they were
taking their morning meal, and, throwing at their feet his bleeding
trophies, he said to them, "Now, who will dare to say that I am not
a man?"

The history of this bold deed spread in a short time to even the
remotest tribes of the North, and when, years afterwards, Boone fell a
prisoner to the Black-feet Indians, they restored him to liberty and
loaded him with presents, saying that they could not hurt the great
brave who had vanquished in his own den the evil spirit of the
mountains.

At another time, Boone, when hardly pressed by a party of the Flat-head
Indians, fell into a crevice and broke the butt of his rifle. He was
safe, however, from immediate danger; at least he thought so, and
resolved he would remain where he was till his pursuers should abandon
their search. On examining the place which had afforded him so opportune
a refuge, he perceived it was a spacious natural cave, having no other
entrance than the hole or aperture through which he had fallen. He
thanked Providence for this fortunate discovery, as, for the future, he
would have a safe place to conceal his skins and provisions while
trapping; but as he was prosecuting his search, he perceived with
dismay that the cave was already inhabited.

In a corner he perceived two jaguars, which followed his movements with
glaring eyes. A single glance satisfied him they were cubs; but a
maddening thought shot across his brain; the mother was out, probably
not far; she might return in a moment, and he had no arms, except his
knife and the barrel of his broken rifle. While musing upon his perilous
situation, he heard a roar, which summoned all his energy; he rolled a
loose mass of rock to the entrance; made it as firm as he could, by
backing it with other stones; tied his knife to the end of his
rifle-barrel, and calmly waited for the issue. A minute passed, when a
tremendous jaguar dashed against the rock, and Boone needed all his
giant's strength to prevent it from giving way.

Perceiving that main force could not clear the passage, the animal began
scratching and digging at the entrance, and its hideous roars were soon
responded to by the cubs, which threw themselves upon Boone. He kicked
them away, but not without receiving several ugly scratches, and,
thrusting the blade of his knife through the opening between the large
stone and the solid rock, he broke it in the shoulder of the female
jaguar, which, with a yell, start