New Mexico state record. (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1914-19??, 1921-03-11
CHAPTER IV-Continued.

Abfilt Nv huNlfiltu " Nv 49, $50
mare whickered plaintlyely when he
took her from her food.
When Snowblrd first heard the step
IA the thickets beside her, she halted
brayely and held her lantern high. She
understood ut last. The very extremity
of the beams found n reelection in two
very curious circles of greenish fire;
ii fire that was old upon the world be-
fore man ever rubbed two sticks to-
eether 10 striE" II flame. or course
the dim rays had simply been reflect
Cd on the eyes of some great beast of
prey.
She identified II at once. Only the
eyes Of the %felines, with vertical pu-
pills, have this identical g%reenish glare,
The eyes of the wolves glow In the
darkness. but the circles are usually
bright points. OF course ii WAS Il cou-
EAR.
She didn't cry out again. Realizing
al last 'he reality Of her peril, her
long training In the mountains came
IA her aid. That did not mean She
was not truly and terribly afraid. The
beast was hunting her. She couldn't
doubt this fact. Curiosity might make
- lion follow her, but it would never
heget such a wild light of madness In
his eyes ns this She had just seen. She
simply clampcd down all her moral
strength on her rising hySteria ana
looked her situation I'm the face. Her
hand flew inStinctively to her side
and the pistol leaped in the lantern
Hight.
But the eyes had already blinked
GU before she could raise the weapon.
She shot twice. The echoes roared
back. unhelicvahly loud in the silence,
and then abruptly died; and the only
sound was Il rustling of leaves as the
cougar crouchcd. She sobbed once,
then hurried on.
She was afraid TO listen at first. She
wanted 10 believe that her pistol fire
would brighten the animal from her
trail. She knew. under ordinary con
ditlons. that 1t would. If he still fol-
lowed, 1t could mean but n thing
that some rnheard-of incident had &C.
CURED Ia destroy his fear of men. 1t
would mean that he had knowingly set
upon her train and was hunting her
with all the age-old remorselessness
that is the code of the mountains.
For n LITTLE while all was silence,
Then out of the hush the thickets sud
denly crashed and shook on the Oppo-
site side Of the trail. She fired blind.
IL into the thickct. Then she caught
herself with y sob. But W shells
remained in her pistol, and they must
BE- saved for the test.
Whisperfost the cougar, remember
ing the lessons of his youth. turned
from the trail when he had first heard
Snowbird's step. He had crOuched
and let her pass. She was walking
into the wind and as she was at the
closest point a message had blown
back to him.
The hair went straight on his Shout
dcrs and along his spine. His blood,
running cold an instant before from
fear. made n great leap In his veins.
4 picture came In his dark mind: the
chase for a deer when the moon had
sct the stir Of n living thing that
broke twigs IN the thlckets, and the
lean he had made. There had been
blood. that nlght-the -lldncss and the
madness and the eXultatiOn of the Kill.
or course there had been terror first,
hut the terror had soon departed and
left something lying warm and stlll
In the thickctS. II was he same game
that walked his trail In front-game
that died easily and yet, I'm a vague
way he did not understand, the
noblest game Of all. II was living
flesh. to tear with talon and fang.
An his training, all the instincts I'M
bucd IN him nv n thousand generations
Of cougars who knew this greatest
fear. were simply obliterated by the
sudden violence Of his hunting mad
moss. He had tasted this blood once,
and IT could lever be forgotten. The
flame lraped ia his eyes. And thrn he
t,sHn the stalk.
nura trying 10 creep silently
on its game. does not nov quickly. Vt
eimply steals. aS n serpent steals
through thu grass. W~hisperfoot stalErd
fnr a period of i've minutes. to learn
that the prey was farther away from
him AT every step.
He trotted forward until he came
close and again he stalked. Again he
fotnd after a few minutes of silent
creeping through the thickets. that he
had lost distance. Evidently this
oame did not feed slowly. like the
door II was to be n chase, then.
Again he trotted within one hundred
feet Of the girl.
Three times more he tried to stalk
before he finally gave 1t up altogether.
This game was like the porcupine-
sImnly TO be chased down and taken.
And I'm the case of all animals that
hunt their game by overtaking II,
,b.re was no longer any occasion for
going silently. The thing to do was to
come close and spring from the trail
behind.
Tbough the fear was mostly gone.
the cougar retained enough Of that
caution that most wild animals ex-
hjhit when hunting a new game so
that he didn't attempt TO strike Snow
bird down at once. But as the chase
went on. his passion grew upon him.
Ever he crept nearer. And at last be
orang full into the thickets beside
her.
at that instant she had shot for the
frat time. Because the light had left
his eyes before she could find aim,
both shots had been clean misses. And
terrible as the reports were. he was