“That’s so,” said Hugh, “that’s the old-time law that I used to hear down in Kentucky, before I got big enough to pack a gun. That’s what they always said down there and I reckon that’s been the custom ever since this country was a country. But you can have the hide and all the meat. I’ll give ’em both to you. Keep them always.”
“Well,” said Jack, “I’m mightily obliged to you for the hide, but I don’t feel as if I could rob you of the meat.”
“Well,” replied Hugh, “maybe you don’t know what you’re refusing. I never did happen to eat bob-cat myself, but I’ve eaten mountain lion, and that’s pretty good meat. A little dry maybe, and tastes a little too much like dry roast pork to suit me, but it’s good all the same.”
“Well,” said Jack, “I’ll skin this bob-cat now, I think. How shall I do it, Hugh, split it, or shall I case it?”
“Why,” said Hugh, “if I were you I’d case it. That’s the regular way to skin a bob-cat, and while you’re skinning it, suppose Joe and I go down and see how the horses are and look after our fence. I reckon we don’t want to stay here much longer, but while we do stay we must watch the horses.”
“Well,” said Jack, “that’s for you to say. I’m ready to stay or I’m ready to go. I’d like to have a chance to climb up where you went the other day to look down into Belly River. Maybe I can do that to-day or, at least, this afternoon, if I start as soon as I get through my job of skinning.”
“Yes,” said Hugh, “I reckon you could. Go ahead at it now, and Joe and me will go and look at the horses.”
CHAPTER XV
LONE WOLF’S BAY PONY
IT did not take Jack long to skin the lynx, but before he had finished stretching it, Hugh and Joe came back and reported that the horses were all right.
By this time the sun had come out and was shining hot, and the snow melting rapidly. A warm breeze blew down the valley from the westward, and as they watched the mountainsides above them, the boys thought that they could see the dark patches not covered by snow increase in size as they looked at them.