“Hist! Listen!” he called. “Listen, White Tail—and you too, Young Black Buck!”
Both of the runners stopped and looked up among the branches of the trees where Downy was sitting.
“Puma is on your trail,” Downy added. “He caught your wind way back there, and he’s been trailing you ever since. I saw him, and hurried to tell you.”
“Thank you, Downy,” replied White Tail. “It’s time we were off. He can never catch us if he’s behind.”
“I didn’t say he was behind you,” replied Downy. “He was on your trail, but Puma’s too wise to follow you that way. You don’t know him. When he picked up your trail, he followed you by the wind. While you were running around in a circle, he’s been cutting across it. He’s between you and the herd.”
“In that case,” said Young Black Buck in a frightened voice, “we’ll take a wide circuit, and he’ll miss us.”
Again Downy shook his head. “You are young,” he said, “and don’t know how Puma hunts. He hunts with his mate, and she’ll be off to the right to head you off.”
“Then what can we do?” asked Young Black Buck, his legs shaking and his voice trembling.
“I really don’t know what to say. I came here to tell you of your danger. I can’t tell you what to do.”
“Couldn’t we go back a little on our track, and then get around Puma and his mate?” asked White Tail, struggling hard to keep cool.