Legends of the Shawangunk2 JR.pdf - Friends of the Sabbath ...

144 Legends of the Shawangunk.
caused by a hasty scramble over fallen tree-trunks and scraggy rocks, no damage was
incurred. One by one the hunters returned and obtained a furtive view of the scene of
terror. All seemed quiet, and after a hasty consultation, the entrance was again securely
walled up and the place abandoned for the night.
On the third day all the men and boys that the surrounding country afforded mere
assembled to witness the sport. They were armed with an endless variety of weapons,—
rifles, shot-guns, bayonets, hatchets, axes, crowbars, and butcher knives. It was agreed to
resume the plan of operations adopted the day previous. The boulders were once more
rolled away from the entrance, and the lights properly placed. A brother of William
Adams, the hero of the previous day, went into the passage as far as he was able and
fired. The same scene followed as on the second day, the screams of the panther causing
a panic in the whole crowd, and the forty men and boys ran as if life depended on the
celerity of their flight.
The company rallied sooner than on the former occasion, however, and John Hankins
fired the third shot, prostrating the panther in his lair. But how to get him out was the
difficulty. None but a lad could enter; and now was a rare opportunity to test the bravery
of the boys. One lad volunteered but at the last moment his courage failed him. Next a
spirited little fellow named William Lane threw off his coat, hat and vest, and arming
himself with a hunting axe and dirk, went into the den, accompanied by Mr. Hankins as
far as the latter could get. While his friends remained outside in breathless suspense,
young Lane cautiously crept through the narrow passage, pausing occasionally to listen.
The panther still exhibited signs of life, as the boy could see by the faint light of his lamp.
As soon as young Lane was within reach he buried the blade of his axe in its brain, and
then applied the dirk to its throat—a very hazardous experiment. The young hero then
ended his adventure by hauling out the body of the panther, which proved to be the
largest of its kind.
PANTHER HUNTING AT LONG POND.
NO sports are more thoroughly enjoyed by robust men than those of hunting and
trapping. The freedom from restraint; the mountain air and vigorous exercise; living in
constant communion with Nature, with just enough of danger to add relish to a calling
full of excitement and adventure—these are among the causes that lend to such an
existence a charm that no other life can give.
Cyrus Dodge had a thrilling adventure at Long Pond, one of the many beautiful
sheets of water found in the county of Sullivan. This pond was conspicuous in times
gone by for its large trout, and for the numbers of deer