The state herald., 1920-12-31
CHAPTER II.

Shortly after nine o'clock. Whisper.
foot encountered his first herd of deer
But they caught his scent and scat
tered before he could get up to them.
He met Woof, grunting through the
underbrush. and he punctiliously, hut
with wretched spirit, left the trall. A
fight with Woof the bear was one OF
the most unpleasant experiences that
could be imagined. He had pair of
strong arms of which one embrace OF
cougars body meant death in one
long shrek Of pain. OF course they
didn't fight often. They had entirely
opposite interests. The bear was n
berry-eatcr and honey-grubber, and
the cougar cared too much for his own
life and beauty to tackle Woof In
hunting way.
A fawn leapcd from the thicket in
front Of him. startled by his sound In
the thicket. The truth was, Whisper
foot had made wholly unjustified
Uisstep on q dry twig. iust At the
crucial moment. Perhaps II wns the
FAULT Of Woof. whose presence had
driven Whisperfoot from the trail.
and perhaps because old age and sti:!.
cess was coming upon him. But
oeither Of these facts appeased his
anger. He could scarcely suppress y
snari Of fury and disappointment.
He continued along the ridge. still
stealing. still alert. but his anger In.
ereasing with every moment. The fact
that he had to leave the trail again TO
permit still another animal to pass,
and 4 particularly insignificant one
TOO. didn't make him feel any better.
This animal had a number Of curious
stripes along his back. and usually did
oothinE more desperate than steal
eggs and eat bird nedgiIngs. Whisper
foot could hive crushed him with one
bite. but this was one thing that the
great cat. as long as he lived. would
never try TO do. He got out Of the
way politely when Stripe.back was
stili q quarter Of mile away: which
was quite q compliment TO the little
animals ability to introduce himself.
stripe-back was fnmiliariy known as
q skunk.
Shortly after ten. the mountain lion
nad remarkably hne chance ut II
buck. The direction OF the wind. the
trees. the thIckeis and the light were
all In his favor. II was old BlnckinIl.
wnllowing In the salt Hex: and Wbis-
pcrfoot's heart bounded when he de.
tectcd him. No human hunter could
have laid his plans with greater care.
lie Ind to cut up the side OF the Ridge.
mindful OF the wind. Then there was
long dense thickct In which he
might approach within nifty feet OF
tho lick. stiil with the wind In his
fnce. Just beside the HEX was another
deep thickct. from which he could
mike his leap.
His body lowered. The tail inshcd
bnck md forth. md now Il had begun
to hnve slight vertical motion ihni
frontiersmcn have learned 10 watch
for. He placed every paw with con-
summats grace. and few sets Of hu'
man nerves have sufSicient control
over leg muscles TO move with such
astonishing patience. He scarcely
seemed 10 move at all.
But when scarcely ten feet re-.
mained 10 stalk. Q sudden sound
prieksd through the darknesa. II came
fron afaS. but II was ne iess terrible.
Il wss really two sounds. - close to-
sether that they sounded - one.
Neither BiHcktail nor whispeffoo'
had any dcluslons about them. They
recognized them nt once. IN stranks
ways under the skin that no man may
describe. M tho fnr.oR reports Of n
rife. Just today Blnckinil Ind seen
his doe fall bleeding when this snmc
sound, only louder, spoke from n
covert from which Bert Cranston had
ponchcd ber.--aDd he left the lick In
one bound.
Terrified though he wnN by ;i.c rife
stes. still whlspcrfoot sprnng. But