A FIERCE ENCOUNTER.

(PECK'S BTTN.) I had made a business visit to Gardiner, a small town lying on the northern boundary of the Yellowstone National Park, and having oompleted tho business that called me thence, was seated one cold wiuter evening in the hote^ office, where a number of old-timer mountaineers were relating 1 adventures of early days, when one of them related the following story of a fight witnessed by him between a panther and grizzly bear in tho Teton mountains in Wyoming. I give tho yarn below, Just as he told it, in tho dialect language of the mountaineer. ♦♦ 'Twas in the 'arly 70's," began the speaker, as he bit off a huge mouthful of plug tobacco and commenced masticating tho same with great vigour, "that I seed tho darn'd'st fight you ever hearn tell of, over in the Tetona. 'Twos between an old grizzly and a painter, and the way they fit wuz a caution to snakes. I hed bin out in tho Big Horn kentry guidin* a party o' tenderfeet sports frum N'York, but game wuz purty scarce in thot section thot fall, so ono day wo pulled stakes and lit out fur the- Tetons. I toll ye there wuz lots o' game thar, and deer and elk wore bo plentiful that the tendorfeot couldn't help but kill suthin' ono't. in a while. They continued thla kind 'o sport until they got sort o> tired of it and began ter look round far Var. Their main ambition seemed tor be ter get a swipe at a grizzly, and they wuz keen fur a bar hunt so one day I sez to 'em : " ' Boys, how'd ye like ter take a trip overi to "Wildcat canyon and kill a bar or two ?' "•Goodi first-rate 1 bully J 1 they all cried, and so next morni*' we lit out. 'T was twolve or fo'teen miles to tho canyon, but I kuowed bar was plenty thar, and we'd stand a sight botter show tor kill 'em thar than auywhar else in the mountains. " "We arrived at tho canyon all right and hunted round, but didn't see anythin' o' b'av thet day, bo tow'rd evenin' I shot a deer and we pitched camp on the creek. We used part of the deer fur supper, and tho balanco wo hung to a limb o' a tree only a few rods from camp. " Wall, that night, 'twas about two o'clock, I guess, wo wus all 'wakened by the durndest howlin' and screechin' you ever hearn tell of. "We all jumped up, and what do you think we seo'd? Why, right thar under tho tree whar the deer wuz hangin' was a monster grizzy bar and a painter, and they wuz fightin' ter beat thunder. The bar would grab the paiuter and give him an awful hug, but tho cat would slip out o' hia clutches, ho wuz so nimble, and would make thet old bars hair fly fur some time. We watched thet fight with interest, I kin tell you, but the animiles never seemed to notice us, fur they kept right at it, and the way the painter would tear flesh and the way the grizzly would thump tho cat round beat anythin'. Howsomever, it hed to como to an end somo time, and when they hed boon at it about half an hour, we noticed that the cat wuz beginnin' to git somewhat the worst of tho fight. Old grizzly wuz pretty well winded, too, and seemed to' want to end tho fight purty quick, fur he wuz filuggin' the painter over tho head in great iihape with his paw. Finally he guv her ouo awful welt and she foil over plump dead, with her neck broken. We then opened fire on tlio grizzly, and brought him to the ground with a few shots. When wo examined him, we found that the flesh along one side o' the ncok and on tho left shoulder wuz all tore off by the painter's claws, and ho wuz other wiso badly done up ; but his great strength had kept him up until he had conquered his enemy. AVhen wo Bkinned the cat wo found thet half the bones of her body had bin broken by the huggin' sho received. Thet wuz an awful fight, boys, and I never 'xpect to see another like it, fur it is not often $iat a paintnr will get up dander enough to fight, loastwiso with a grizzly bar." " Yes, thet's so!" assented the others. Aud then at my simple invitation to " take something, " they ranged alongside the bar, and with surprising unanimity of sentiment called for " corpse reviver straight," and we all drank to the health of the story toller.