Donald, poor fellow, was figuratively speaking on “needles and pins,” what with his impatience to get on, and his knowledge of the dauntless habits of the animal that now disputed their right to that trail.
“There’s only one thing we can do,” said Rob decisively, for he was a great believer in “taking the bull by the horns,” or cutting the Gordian knot when it could not be untied, just as Alexander the Great is said to have done on occasion. “We must turn aside, and go around the brute. Let him stay in the tree where he is, if that’s his game. All we want is to get along, and lose no more time than is necessary.”
Andy was heard to give a sigh. How he did hate to “knuckle down” to a miserable old lynx that considered them trespassers on his domain, and perhaps knew they were just invading Yankee boys who had crossed the line despite the law that forbade trespass on the part of foreigners.
“A gude idea, Rab!” exclaimed Donald, overjoyed. “Mair strength to yer elbow, man. And let us gang awa’ without anny more bother.”
“Oh, well, all right,” grumbled Andy, in a disgusted tone. “It’s hard lines, let me tell you.”
Tubby was not saying anything, but he did a heap of staring. He noticed that as they left the trail and began to make a half circle so as to pass around the big hemlock containing that audacious lynx, Rob continued to play his electric torch so that its glow fell upon the crouching beast. There was a double object in this, for not only could they keep watch over the animal, and feel assured it had not left that limb to follow them; but at the same time the lynx would have to remain under the mystic spell of the glowing orb that dazzled it.
Andy kept his gun in readiness, for he was determined that should the beast make any attempt at attacking them he could not be bound by any order which would prevent him from shooting. But there was no occasion for violence. The lynx twisted its head around so as to follow their passage, but when last seen it had not even changed its position on the limb. As Tubby told himself half humorously it “just seemed bent on seeing a disreputable rabble well off the premises,” when it could once more take up the necessary duty of securing a dinner.
Tubby was also concerned in casting his eyes about him in momentary expectation of discovering another pair of glowing eyes amidst the tangle of branches above; for he remembered that most cats hunt in couples, often surrounding their game. He was looking for the mate of the lynx in the hemlock, looking, but at the same time fervently praying that it would only be conspicuous by reason of its absence, for Tubby was not at all fond of any sort of cats, domestic or wild.
All of them breathed sighs of satisfaction when they could no longer see any sign of the ferocious four-footed hunter of the trail. Rob had now extinguished his light, for he did not wish to needlessly exhaust the little battery; it had already proven worth its price, and was likely to come in handy on still further occasions in the near future.
“Not much danger of his following after us, I suppose, Donald?” Rob asked softly. He felt that the Canadian boy must be much better acquainted with the characteristics of such a native animal than he could boast of being.