phil, adam, and mr. pitman had been standing on the shore, watching with breathless anxiety the rapid course of the events recorded in the previous chapter. as the panther neared the boat, they were almost wild with terror, but they could offer no help, and the two boys seemed to be doing all that could be done.
their eyes were now so accustomed to the obscurity of the night, and there was so much reflected starlight from the water, that they could plainly see the panther’s head as it swam, and phœnix’s form was very distinct as he stood with uplifted hatchet.
they saw that chap had the gun, and each in his heart hoped that he might fire it and frighten away the beast.
when the gun was fired, and the triumphant[198] cries of the boys were heard, adam shouted across the water,—
“look out! he’ll be at you again!”
the good sailor had no idea anything had happened, but that the panther had been frightened away by the discharge of the gun. the dark reflection of the boat made it impossible for him to see what was going on in the water close to its side.
chap, however, was not to be discouraged by adam’s shout or phœnix’s warning.
“the thing is dead!” he cried, “and i’m not going to lose it. it’ll sink again before you know it. there’s its tail close to you. can’t you take hold of it?”
phœnix hesitated. to take hold of the tail of a wild beast which a minute before had been full of angry life, seemed to him a risky piece of business. the animal might be merely stunned, and, reviving, might object to have its tail pulled. still, phœnix was as loath as chap to lose the panther, and as the body seemed about to sink again he reached out and seized the floating tail.
chap was so excited that he would have gladly clutched the panther by the back of the neck, but it was just a little out of his reach.
phœnix pulled the tail toward him, and chap sprang to assist.
“it’s dead! it’s dead!” yelled chap, as the two[199] boys pulled steadily at the tail, and the motionless body of the panther was drawn close to the boat.
when phil and the two men heard chap cry that the panther was dead, they were as much amazed as relieved. they had not supposed the shot they had heard could have killed the beast. they were now anxious to get to the spot as quickly as possible, and see what had really happened.
pitman ran into the house, and came back with the oars, and followed by his wife and daughters, who, now that they heard the panther was dead, were perfectly willing to come out of doors, and stood on the beach while mr. pitman, adam, and phil jumped into the boat, and rapidly rowed to the rolling stone.
when they reached her side, they found phœnix and chap each having hold of one of the hind legs of the panther, and pulling it into the boat.
a lantern was lighted, and the beast carefully examined. it was a handsome, full-grown panther, as big a one, mr. pitman said, as he had ever seen.
when the manner of the killing had been fully explained, and it had been found that the panther had been struck in the leg by one rifle ball, although of course, it could not be determined from whose rifle it came. chap stood up and leaned[200] against the cabin, the light of the lantern shining full upon his manly form.
“gentlemen,” said he, affecting a portly grandeur, while his eyes twinkled good-humoredly, “if you want to know how to kill a panther, or any other beast, come to me, and i’ll tell you how to do it. it’s all nonsense to double yourself up for hours behind a prickly palmetto bush, and sit there till your back aches, and wishing you had never heard of the thing, and were comfortable in bed. you might just as well lie down and take a comfortable sleep, and then when the wild beast comes up to you, just wake up and poke your gun into his mouth, and blow his brains out. that is the easy and sensible way of doing the thing with all the modern improvements.”
“all very fine,” laughed phil, “if you have somebody to wake you up at the proper moment, and drive the panther to the place where you are snoozing.”
“of course, of course!” said chap, with a grand wave of his hand. “the captain must have his retainers; that is understood.”
the panther was put into the small boat, and adam and pitman rowed ashore.
there the dead beast, after having been viewed with much delight by the female pitmans, was hung up to the limb of a tree and carefully skinned by the two men.
[201]when this job was finished adam was glad to accept his friend’s offer of a bed, the three boys being, by this time, fast asleep on their boat.
after breakfast, the next morning, mr. pitman asked chap for his address, and informed him that after he had properly prepared the skin of the panther, he intended to send it to him.
to this chap demurred, saying that mr. pitman ought to keep the skin himself, and if he gave it to anybody, he ought to give it to some one of the party who had had so long and weary a watch for it, and not to the fellow who had gone to sleep and let the rest look out for the approach of the beast.
but mr. pitman would listen to nothing of the kind, insisting that the one who shot the panther should have the skin, and phil, phœnix, and adam agreeing that this was right, the matter was so settled.
as soon as possible our party set sail, with hearty expressions of good will toward the pitman family. the wind was fair, and, after a stop that night at a place where nothing memorable occurred, they came early the next afternoon in sight of titusville.
on the way much attention had been paid to the health and comfort of the little bears, and now that they were nearing the town, adam gave the tiller to phil, and began to comb the soft hair and to generally tidy up the little cubs. one of these[202] animals had such a wise air that phil named him solomon, whereupon chap declared that his little sister should be called the queen of sheba, giving a very broad sound to the final “a,” in imitation of the backwoods accent.
“if there’s anybody in the town,” said adam, “that wants ’em bad enough to pay well for ’em, i’ll let ’em have ’em; but if no such person turns up, i’ll lug the little creturs north as long as i’ve money enough to buy milk.”
“is this what that girl in the woods considered a big place?” exclaimed chap, as they sailed up to the town. “what would she say if she saw the mighty metropolis of boontown, not to mention new york, london, or pekin?”
titusville was a settlement of about thirty or forty low wooden houses, none of them far from the river-front, and all seeming to cluster around and to depend upon an extensive one-story building, forming three sides of a square, and fronted by large and well-kept grounds, which stretched for two or three hundred feet to the river, where there was a pretty little wharf. this house was the hotel, and the only building of any size or pretension in the place.
as they came up to the wharf, they saw sitting on the extreme end of the platform a small man, with sandy hair, short trousers, no stockings, and cowhide shoes.
[203]“i’ll bet the left ear of little solomon,” said adam, “that that’s the brother of john brewer. there’s a kind o’ family likeness about him.”
the little man helped them to make the boat fast, and as he did so a smile of recognition seemed to flicker over his face.
“are you john brewer’s brother?” said adam, when he landed.
“yes,” said the other. “and that’s his boat, ain’t it?”
adam replied that it was, and explained the arrangement that had been made.
“i’ve been a-waitin’ here for the mail-boat,” said the other, bringing out his words very slowly, “but now that this one’s here, i reckon i may as well take her.”
“don’t you think you’d a great sight better take her?” said adam. “i consider this a tip-top chance for you to get back comfortable and save money.”
“i reckon that’s so,” said the other. “goin’ up to the hotel?”
“yes,” said adam, “and if you’ll come along, we’ll give you the money that we owe your brother,—that is, if the treasurer says so.”
“all right,” said phœnix.
and after making the boat secure, the valises and other traps were taken out, and the whole party walked up the broad, gravel path which led to the hotel.
