CHAPTER XIX
SOME UNLOOKED-FOR GAME
It was a moment of dire peril and no one realized it more than did the young hunter who had been attacked by the two wild beasts of the forest. Like a flash he rolled over and doubled up to prevent the wildcats from reaching his head and neck.
This quick movement sent the animals to the ground, and as they landed Snap jumped forward and struck one of the wildcats with the stock of his gun. It was a telling blow, for by luck more than judgment it crushed the beast's skull.
The attack on its mate caused the other wildcat to pause. Then, filled with a sudden fear, and failing to get at Whopper's throat, it commenced to retreat.
"It's running away!" shouted Snap. "Kill it, Shep!"
The doctor's son had been dancing around, trying to get in a shot without injuring Whopper.
Now he leveled his shotgun and banged away. It was a close-range hit, and the head of the wildcat was almost blown from the body.
It was several seconds before the three boy hunters realized that the battle was at an end. Slowly Whopper turned over and looked at the two dead animals. He rose to his feet, panting heavily.
"Are they bo—-both dead?" he asked.
"As dead as nails," answered Snap.
"I thought I was—-was going to be—-be chewed up!"
"It was a narrow escape."
"Say, after this, do you know what I think? I think we had better kill the beasts first and take the pictures afterward!"
"Then we'll not have such good photos," returned the doctor's son.
"Yes; but what good are photos to a fellow if he gets killed?" questioned Whopper ruefully.
"We'll have to be more careful, that's all," said Snap.
"What shall we do with the wildcats?"
"Leave them here, for all I care," answered the doctor's son. "The skins are not much good at this time of year and after such handling."
The three boys rested for a while, and then took a picture of the dead wildcats with themselves in the background. So that all might get in the pictures they set their cameras on rocks and worked them by means of threads of black linen.
"I am afraid our shots have scared away all the game in this vicinity," remarked the doctor's son as they, trudged forward once more. And so it seemed, for nothing came into view for the next hour. Then Snap sighted some rabbits, but before he could get a shot the game was out of sight.
At noon they rested in a glade that commanded a fine view of the surrounding country and each of the boys took several time pictures with small lens openings, so as to get sharp outlines.
It was well on toward the middle of the afternoon when they came upon the trail of a deer. It looked to be quite fresh, and this filled them with the hope of catching up to the game.
"We want to be mighty quiet," cautioned Snap, who was in the lead.
"The wind is uncertain and may carry the slightest sound to the deer."
"It will carry our scent, too," answered Whopper.
"That we can't help and will have to chance."
They followed the trail for fully half a mile, through something of a hollow between the mountains. Here they came on quite a pond, much to their surprise. The pond was filled with lilies and other flowers, and on one side was a series of rocks leading to quite a cliff.
"What a beautiful spot for a cabin!" cried Shep, forgetting all about the deer, for a moment.
"Why not take some pictures?" suggested Snap. "We may not come this way again."
The doctor's son was willing, and they took several views, one of
Whopper with his hand full of water lilies.
The trail of the deer led around the rocky elevation, and the three young hunters were moving through some low brushwood when of a sudden they heard a noise ahead of them.
"What's that?" asked Whopper.
"Bless me if I know," whispered the doctor's son. "Get your guns ready."
"Here comes a deer!" shouted Snap, and an instant later a magnificent buck burst into view, rushing around the other end of the cliff. It appeared and disappeared so quickly that to get a shot was all but impossible.
"Well, of all the chumps!" cried Snap in disgust. "Why didn't somebody let drive?"
"Why didn't you?" asked Shep.
"I couldn't—-the rocks were in the way."
"Well, the rocks were in my way, too."
"How can a fellow shoot at a streak of greased lightning?" asked
Whopper. "That buck was making a hundred miles a minute!"
"Well, that's the end of that game," muttered Snap, much crestfallen.
"Boys, it looks as if we were going to be skunked to-day."
"Oh, we've got a couple of hours yet," said the doctor's son. "But I guess we had better turn back toward camp. We don't want to miss our way in the dark."
"Let us go on a little," said Whopper. "I imagine that buck got scared at something, and I'd like to know what it was."
"Maybe a bear," said Snap. "And if it is, you can be sure Mr. Bruin will walk right away from us while we are thinking about a shot," he added bitterly. He was disgusted to think they had allowed both the rabbits and the deer to get away from them.
All of the boys were curious to know if anything had really frightened the buck, and they went forward, but this time more cautiously than ever. Passing the cliff, they came to a hillside, overgrown with cedars and brushwood, with many loose stones between. Here they had to progress even more slowly, for walking was treacherous and none of them had a desire to twist an ankle or break a leg.
"I don't see a thing," said the doctor's son presently. "It's a mighty lonely place, isn't it?"
"I fancied I saw something move, just beyond yonder clump of cedars," said Whopper, pointing with his hand.
"Whopper is seeing things," said Snap, laughing. "I guess the wildcats and the deer got on his nerves."
"Well, don't believe me if you don't want to," answered Whopper rather testily.
"We'll see if there is anything in it, anyway," answered the doctor's son. "But I am not going any farther than those cedars. I am getting tired—-and it is high time we turned back, unless we want to remain away from camp all night."
"No, I want to get back, too," answered Snap. "Sleeping out of doors is all well enough once in a while, but I prefer to be under some kind of a roof, even if it's only canvas."
The three boys moved forward once again, each with his gun ready for use, should anything worth shooting appear. They came up to the cedars and were then able to look beyond, where the mountain side was full of rocks, with numerous holes between.
"Oh!" yelled Snap at the top of his lungs. "Look!"
All gazed in the direction indicated, and for once they were fairly rooted to the spot. Before them, on a flat rock, stood a large and magnificent lion, gazing boldly at them.