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Audubon was traveling in the woods in Mississippi. He found the little cabin of a settler. He stayed there for the night. The settler told him that there was a panther in the swamp near his house. A panther is a very large and fierce animal. It is large enough to kill a man. This was a very bad panther. It had killed some of the settler's dogs.

Audubon said, "Let us hunt this panther, and kill it."

So the settler sent out for his neighbors to come and help kill the panther. Five men came. Audubon and the settler made seven. They were all on horseback.

When they came to the edge of the swamp, each man went a different way. They each took their dogs with them to find the track of the wild beast. All of the hunters carried horns. Whoever should find the track first was to blow his horn to let the others know.

In about two hours after they had started, they heard the sound of a horn. It told them that the track had been found. Every man now went toward the sound of the horn. Soon all the yelping dogs were following the track of the fierce panther. The panther was running into the swamp farther and farther.

I suppose that the panther thought that there were too many dogs and men for him to fight. All the hunters came after the dogs. They held their guns ready to shoot if the panther should make up his mind to fight them.

After a while the sound of the dogs' voices changed. The hunters knew from this that the panther had stopped running, and gone up into a tree.

At last, the men came to the place where the dogs were. They were all barking round a tree. Far up in the tree was the dangerous beast. The hunters came up carefully. One of them fired. The bullet hit the panther, but did not kill him.

The panther sprang to the ground, and ran off again. The dogs ran after. The men got on their horses, and rode after.

But the horses were tired, and the men had to get down, and follow the dogs on foot.

The hunters now had to wade through little ponds of water. Sometimes they had to climb over fallen trees. Their clothes were badly torn by the bushes. After two hours more, they came to a place where the panther had again gone up into a tree.

This time three of the hunters shot at him. The fierce panther came tumbling to the ground. But he was still able to fight. The men fought the savage beast on all sides. At last, they killed him. Then they gave his skin to the settler. They wanted him to know that his enemy was dead.

Directions

Study the lesson for one week.

Over the week:

  • Read the story multiple times.
  • Review the synopsis.
  • Study the vocabulary words.
  • Learn the concepts.
  • Complete the enrichment activities.
  • Study the review questions.

Synopsis

Audubon stayed with a settler for a night. The settler told him that a bad panther had killed some of his dogs. The panther was big enough to kill a person. Audubon, the settler, and the settler's neighbors set out on horseback to kill the panther. The men brought dogs to help track the panther. Audubon and the men tracked the panther through the swampy land and chased him up a tree. They shot the panther, but the panther jumped down and ran away. Audubon and the men chased the panther up another tree. This time the men succeeded in killing the panther.

Vocabulary

Settler: A person who settles in an area, typically one with no or few previous inhabitants.
Fierce: Having or displaying an intense or violent aggressiveness.
Swamp: An area of low-lying, uncultivated ground where water collects. A bog or marsh.
Horn: An instrument made from a horn that can be blown with the lips to produce a loud noise.
Savage: Fierce, violent, and uncontrolled.
Treed: Forced an animal to hide up in a tree.

Concepts

In the story, Audubon, a settler, and the settler's neighbors hunted and killed a panther that had killed the settler's dogs.

  1. Today, we still have issues with dangerous wildlife, especially when people cut down wooded areas to build new houses and disrupt animals' homes and hunting areas.
  2. Today, when wildlife becomes a danger to people and pets, wildlife control organizations often first try to relocate dangerous animals away from people instead of killing them.

Enrichment

Activity 1: Narrate the Story

  • After reading or listening to the story, narrate the story events aloud using your own words.

Activity 2: Color the Story   

  • Click the crayon above, and complete page 41 of 'History Coloring Pages for First Grade.'

Activity 3: Draw the Story

  • Panthers are strong, agile, and beautiful creatures.
  • Study the picture of the panthers (cougars) painted by Audubon below.
  • Draw or paint a panther up in a tree.

Review

Question 1

What killed the settler's dogs?
1 / 5

Answer 1

A panther killed the settler's dogs.
1 / 5

Question 2

What did Audubon, the settler, and the neighbors decide to do to protect themselves, their families, and their animals?
2 / 5

Answer 2

They decided to hunt down the panther and kill it.
2 / 5

Question 3

What happened the first time the hunters treed the panther?
3 / 5

Answer 3

They shot the panther, but it jumped down and ran away.
3 / 5

Question 4

What happened the second time the hunters treed the panther?
4 / 5

Answer 4

They shot and fought with the panther, and the panther died.
4 / 5

Question 5

What part of the panther did Audubon and the men give to the settler?
5 / 5

Answer 5

They gave the settler the panther's skin.
5 / 5

  1. What killed the settler's dogs? A panther killed the settler's dogs.
  2. What did Audubon, the settler, and the neighbors decide to do to protect themselves, their families, and their animals? They decided to hunt down the panther and kill it.
  3. What happened the first time the hunters treed the panther? They shot the panther, but it jumped down and ran away.
  4. What happened the second time the hunters treed the panther? They shot and fought with the panther, and the panther died.
  5. What part of the panther did Audubon and the men give to the settler? They gave the settler the panther's skin.

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