The Belding banner-news. (Belding, Mich.) 1918-1973, 1921-02-16
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 mp to them
He met Wool, grunting through the
underbrush. and he punctilously. but
with wretched spirit. left the trail A
fight with Wool the hear was one of
the most unpleasant experiences that
could be imagined. He had pair of
strong arms Of which one embrace OF
q cougars body meant death in one
long shrek Of pain. or course they
didn't fight often. They had entirely
opposite interests. The bear was
berry-eater and honey-grubber. and
the cougar cared too much for his own
life and beauty to tackle Wool i'm
hunting way.
A fawn leaped from the thicker I'm
front Of him, startled by his sound In
the thlcket. The truth was, Whisper
foot had made a wholly unjustified
miSstep on dry twig. just at the
crucial moment. Perhaps II was the
fault of Wool, whose presence had
driven Whisperfoot from the trail,
and perhaps because old age and stiff
ness was coming upon him. But
neither of these facts appeased his
anger. He could scarcely suppress
snarl of fury and disappointment.
He continued along the ridge, still
stealing. still alert. but his anger in
creasing with every moment. The fact
that he had TO leave the trail again 10
permit still another animal TO pass,
and n particularly insignificant one
too, didn't make him feel any better.
This animal had number of curious
stripes along his back, and usually did
nothing more desperate than steal
eggs and eat bird fledglingS. Whisper
foot could have 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
still quarter of mile away; which
was quite compliment 10 the little
animals ability 10 introduce himself
Stripe-back was Familiarity known as
a skunk.
Shortly after ten. the mountain lion
had remarkably fine chance at
buck. The direction of the wind, the
trees, the thickets and the light were
all In his favor. II was old Blacktail,
wallowing in the salt lick; and Whis-
perfoot's heart bounded when he de-
tected him. No human hunter could
have laid his plans with greater care.
10 10 rttt fhxa Ell Of N rfd nQ
mindful of the wind. Then there was
long dense thicket in which he
might approach within fifty feet of
the lick, still with the wind in his
face. Just beside the lick was another
deep thicket. from which he could
make his leap.
His body lowered. The tail dashed
back and forth, and now it had begun
to have a slight vertical motion that
frontiersmen have learned TO watch
for. He placed every paw with con-
summate grace, and few sets of hui
man nerves have sufficient control
over leg muscles to move with such
astonishing patience. He scarcely
seemed 10 move at all.
But when scarcely ten feet re-
NAMED 10 stalk. a sudden sound
pricked through the darkness. II came
from afar, but 1t was no less terrible.
II was really two sounds, so close to-
gether that they sounded as one.
Neither Blacktail nor whisperfoot
had any decisions about them. They
recognized them Mt once, In strange
ways under the skin that no man may
describe, as the far-off reports Of
rife. Just today Blacktail had seen
his doe fall bleeding when this same
sound. only louder. spoke from
covert from which Bert Cranston had
poached her-and he left the lick In
one bound.
Terrified though he was by the rife
shot. still whisperfoot sprang. But
the distance was too far. HIS out
stretched paw hummed down four
feet behind Blacktail's flank. Then
forgetting everything but his anger
and disappointment, the great cougar
opened his mouth and howled.
The long night was almost done
when he got sight Of further game.
Once flock Of grouse exploded with
a roar of wings from a thicket; but
they had been Weakened by the first
whisper Of dawn In the wind, and ne
really had no chance at them. Soon
after this, the moon set
CTO BE CONTINUED