Her voice sounded queer to her and she had to labor over each note, but with relief they noticed that the beast relaxed again, ceased the nervous switching of its tail.
The two girls kept up the singing for what seemed to their overwrought nerves an eternity of terror, and gradually they came to the realization that their voices were failing.
The great beast realized it, too. He was becoming nervous, uneasy, lustful. Inch by inch he was creeping forward, inch by inch!
Suddenly Tavia’s voice faltered—stopped.
“I can’t go on, Doro!” she whispered, hysterically. “I can’t—I can’t——”
With a snarl the great beast sprang forward, ears flat to his head, great paws extended!
A shot rang out and the panther fell, clawed desperately at the air in a curiously impotent gesture, lay still!
The two girls, clinging to each other, saw Lance Petterby come out of the shadows, smoking gun in hand.
CHAPTER XXIII
GONE AGAIN
It was decided by the girls and Lance Petterby that they would tell no one of their perilous adventure. Dorothy and Tavia were deeply grateful to Lance, who had followed them as soon as he had learned that they had left his cabin, and had, by so doing, undoubtedly saved their lives. At the same time, they were very anxious that no one outside of their little trio should know of the incident.