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4 where sure enough, we percieved the marks left by the animal's nails whilst climbing up the trunk.

A brace of axes were soon thudding into the body of the tree; and presently a warning shake of its lofty head cautioned us to stand clear of its fall, when at first with a graceful bow it inclined towards the surrounding trees, quickly losing its center of gravity down it crashed to the ground, stripping limbs & bark from others in its descent, bringing with it a perfect wreck of branches. As soon as it was down we rushed to the fallen trunk, from which, as soon as it touched the ground, bolted a fine fat raccoon. Before we could word, he sprang on a hicklory tree up the trunk of which he was scudding with the activity of a cat, when a ball from my rifle drilling his scull brought him dead to the ground --