“‘Of course; do you suppose I swallow them alive?’ the Leopardess snarled, whereupon the Bobcattess said no more. ‘Young ones, no doubt,’ ventured the Pantheress, ‘I—’
“‘Silence,’ the Leopardess screamed in a great rage. We thought for a moment that she was going to start a fight but just then she saw the top of my head. The rocks did not conceal quite all of me. Without a word of warning to her companions, she crawled away merely saying: ‘Pardon my haste. I had forgotten that Spotty was all alone.’
“By this time, Wulli and I were both very much annoyed. We hurried around the rocks to catch that leopardess and punish her. She sprang into a glade and disappeared. As we followed, her companions scattered in all directions. We had entered the woods and I had just lowered my head to avoid colliding with a stout overhanging branch when something reached down from above and fastened upon my shoulder hump. As I bounded forward from the pain of it, my back was raked from nape to tail. Never was I so enraged as at this unexpected attack. I faced about and saw a lithe cat-like form ascending rapidly into the tree-top. It was the Leopardess and she it was who had clawed my back as I passed beneath the limb upon which she lay; and now I could see her safely beyond my reach and hear her screeching scorn and derision at Wulli and myself. Some strands of my own hair still clung to her waving paw. The sight of them irritated me beyond measure.”
“‘We might hide,’ said Wulli. ‘When the wretch thinks that we have gone, she will come down; then we can catch and chastise her.’
“It takes much scenery to conceal a pair like us. I did not realize this at first. No matter how hard we tried to find cover, that wretched cat could see us and jeered our vain efforts with insulting cat-calls. It was exasperating.
“‘We can hide among the rocks,’ Wulli now suggested. ‘I see a cave; something in it too. I smell it.’
“We approached the mouth of the dark hole. Wulli lowered his head and peered into the darkness. ‘Anybody home?’ he squealed.
“A fluffy little creature resembling an oversized bobcat, came bouncing to the entrance. At sight of us, it stood stock-still, staring at us with big wondering eyes, then turned tail and essayed a hasty retreat to within the sombre recesses. This last move, I prevented by hooking the little roly-poly back with my trunk gently but firmly, whereupon it stuck a stubby paw in one eye and screwed up its face as though about to cry.
“‘Spotty! It is the baby leopard,’ cried Wulli. ‘That is its mother in the tree. She scratched your back.’
“‘Aha!’ I grit my teeth and took a fresh grip on the young one, so tight a hold that Spotty yelled as though he were being killed. Back I marched to the tree waving the young leopard triumphantly on high. To my great chagrin, the perch which had but recently held the mother, was now vacant.”