As for Ted, he wandered on and on, really going farther away from the bungalow and his friends instead of toward them.
The boy listened after he had shouted to drive away, as he hoped, the strange wailing beast. Then, as he did not hear any sound in the tree tops and that strange cry did not again make him shiver, he took heart.
“I guess I’ve scared him away,” thought Teddy.
He started off again in the darkness as best he could. But he had not taken many steps before that same cry welled forth again, sending the shivers up and down poor Ted’s back.
“You old beast!” he cried. “Why don’t you jump down and be done with it! I’ll hit you with a club if you do!”
Ted firmly grasped the piece of tree branch he had picked up and waited. He stood under a tree, and he thought if the bobcat did leap down the tree would be a good thing to dodge behind.
Then, just as Mr. Martin had told those in his party would happen, the moon rose. Or, rather, it came out from behind some clouds that, earlier in the evening, had hidden the silver disk. The woods were now much lighter, and for this Ted was glad, even though the moon did cast strange shadows.
Suddenly, as he looked up into the tree from which the strange animal seemed last to have cried, Ted saw two green and gleaming eyes. The moon shone on them.
And then a voice seemed to call:
“Who! Who! Whoo-oo-oo!”