After throwing more wood upon the fire, the three brothers again took to their blankets, expecting that nothing would occur to disturb them before the morning.
Chapter Twenty One.
The Circle of Fire.
That expectation, however, was a vain one. Poor lads! they little thought what was before them. Their nerves were to be tried still farther, and by as severe a test as they had yet endured. The wolves howled fearfully around the camp, and their eyes still shone through the gloom. But this would not have kept the boys from sleeping, had their attention not been called to another sound—the voice of a far different creature. They heard it amidst the howlings of the wolves, and knew it at once, for it resembled not these. It was more like the squalling of an angry cat, but far louder, fiercer, and more terrible. It was the scream of the cougar!
I say that the young hunters recognised the voice of this animal at once—for they had heard it while hunting in the forests of Louisiana, although they had never been exposed to its attack. From ample testimony, however, they knew its power and fierce nature; and were, therefore, terrified by its scream—as men of strongest nerves had often been before them.
When its cry first reached their ears, it appeared feeble and distant—not louder than the mewing of a kitten. The animal was evidently far off in the forest. They knew, however, that it could soon traverse the ground that lay between it and their camp. They listened. A second scream sounded nearer. They sprang to their feet, and listened again. A third call appeared more distant. This, however, arose from a misconception on their part. They forgot that their ears were now farther from the ground.
They stood a moment gazing on each other with looks of terror and apprehension. What was to be done?
“Shall we mount our horses and fly?” asked Basil.