Garry fired two more shots at the screeching mass and then all was quiet and the struggling ceased. The sound of the shots had, of course, wakened Simmons, and he rushed forward to where Garry was standing.
“What is it? Are we attacked? Did you kill him?” The questions were shot out rapidly.
“Don’t know yet what it is, but if you wait a moment I’ll have a look,” said Garry.
Just then Ruth came hurrying out. She had snatched a burning stick from the fireplace and held this as a torch. It must be remembered that this entire occurrence took far less time than it takes to tell it.
Taking the flickering torch from the girl, Garry advanced to where the dark mass lay, and looked it over. The others crowded around him. It was a dark animal built something like a lioness, and as it lay stretched out looked to be almost seven feet long, measuring from tip of the nose to the tip of the tail.
“What is that, a lion?” asked Simmons.
“Why, yes, it is a specie of lion; I suppose you could call it that,” answered Garry. “It’s generally called a mountain lion; sometimes a panther, and by the natives a ‘painter.’ Its correct name is Puma. Say, he is sure a beauty, isn’t he? Good thing he gave warning of his approach and put me on guard, for if he had dropped on me from the edge of the cliff, he would have made mincemeat of me with those terrible fangs and sharp claws.”
“Are they generally to be feared?” asked Simmons.
“Of course they’re nothing you would want to take into your cabin and lay down beside,” answered Garry, “but as a rule they are not very courageous. This one must have been ravenously hungry to have even thought of attacking a human being. Generally they prey on deer in the forest, and if they summon up enough courage, will go on farm land and raise havoc among sheep and young cattle. This is such wild land here, that it had probably had nothing to eat for some time, hence its attempt to light on me. I wish there were more time and no element of danger around here, for I would like to skin it and take the pelt back with me as a souvenir of the night. Perhaps we can come here after we have taken Ruth home and get it.”
Garry had still an hour to stand on guard, and so Simmons went back to sleep. The boy was tired himself, and welcomed the coming of the hour when he was to be relieved.