And after he had looked back and had seen the size of the animal and noticed that there was only one, somehow or other Bert became braver, and he had an idea that perhaps he might drive this beast away.
Wildcats, or bobcats as they are sometimes called, being also known as the bay lynx, are not as large as a good-sized dog. They weigh about thirty pounds, and though they have sharp teeth and claws they very seldom attack persons. Only when they are disturbed, or fear that someone is going to harm their little ones or take away their food, do bobcats run after persons.
And this one must have thought Bert was going to do it some harm, for the animal certainly chased the lad.
“Ho!” said Bert to himself, as he looked back, “you’re not so big! Maybe you have got sharp teeth and claws, but if you don’t get near me you can’t hurt me! I’m going to make you go back!”
Bert had a sudden idea of how he might do this—with snowball bullets. All about him was snow—piles of it—and Bert had often taken part in snowball fights at home. He was a good thrower, and once he had snowballed a savage dog that had run at Flossie and Freddie and had caused the animal to run yelping away.
“I’m going to snowball this wildcat!” decided Bert.
He ran on a little farther until he came to a small clearing where the trees stood in an irregular ring around an open place. There Bert decided to make a stand and see if he could not drive the chasing wildcat away.
“And if he won’t go, and comes after me,” thought Bert, “I can climb a tree.”
He did not know, or else had forgotten, that wildcats themselves are very good tree-climbers.
Reaching the other side of the clearing, Bert laid his package of lunch down on a firm place in the snow, and then rapidly began to make some hard, round balls. He packed them with all his might between his mittened hands, for he knew a soft snowball would not be of much use against a wildcat.