Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-08-21


nous strength Where the trail came
out upon patch of grassy level starred
with blossoms, beside the tumbng
mountain stream, they parted company the female
turning off the tangled and rocky slopes, while
the male went down to hunt in the heavy timber OF
the valley bottom
Game that spring, and the hunt kept them
both busy They had misgvings about leaving their
two blind, sprawng cubs to doze on their bed OF dry
grass the dark inner corner OF the cave They knew
very we'll that in all their range for radius OF forty or
fifty miles about the bumped and massive hogback OF
Red Rock there beast bold to trespass on
the panthers lair.
1t was perhaps half-hour later that a man in
sight hafbreed squatter, moving stealthily up the
farther bank of the stream His dark figure appeared
and disappeared slipping from rock to tree from tree
70 wild vine thcket he picked his way urvely along
the steep and INSTRUCTED slope. Not twig cracked
under his moccasined steps, SO carefully did he go,
though the soft of the stream would have covered
any such light sound from all ears but the initiated and
discriminating of the forest kndredS. His small,
watchu eyes took of the grassy level on the other
side of the stream and with sure leap to rock IN Md
channel he across
He arrived Just few feet below the spot where the
female panther had taken her departure digging IN her
broad pads heavily in the take-of of her leap. The
grasses rodden down in the heavy footprints were still
slowly lifting their heads At sight of this TRAIL SO start
lnply fresh the crouched instantly back into the
fringng bush half lifting his rifle and peerng with
ygilant into the heart OF every covert lie ex-
pected the beasts eyes paey garng at him from
some ambush.
In few minutes however, he satisfied himself that
the panther had gone Emerging from the bushes,
he knet down and examined the footprints minutely.
Yes the trail was older than he had at first imagined by
good halfho Some of the trodden grass had recov
cred ITSELF and crushed brown beetle already sur
rounded by ants He rose with grim smile and traced
the trail back the green patch till it mingled with
the confusion of footprints going and coming winch
led up the mountains In this confusion he overlooked
the traces of the other panther he led to the
conclusion that only of the pair had gone out If
this was the path the lair he inferred both from
the number of the tracks and the fitness of the country
then he must expect to find Of the pair at home.
His crafty and deepse eyes famed at the thought for
he was great hunter, and dead shot with his heavy
Winchester.
EOR DAYS the halfbreed had been searching for the
trail and the den Of the panther pair. His object
was the cubs which, as he knew would still be tiny and
manageable at this A good panther skin was
well worth the effort of the chase; but in the set
Elements who collecting wild animals for circus
had offered him hundred and fifty dollars for pair
of healthy cubs The habreed's idea to get the
cubs as young possible and bring them up by bottle
in his cabin till they should be large enough for delivery
to the collector
Before starting up the steep and difficult trail the
man examined his rifle. panther at home, protect
ing her Young, not foe with which he could take
risks She commanded the tribute Of his pre-
caution.
careful survey of the slope before him convinced his
practised eye that the den must be somewhere in that
high cleft where the broken spaces of the red sandstone