It was pitch dark, so that it was impossible to recognize anything in the wagon, and of course the dense forests only added to the gloom, although the sky could be faintly seen directly above them through the scraggly leaves. The Professor searched for one of the lanterns, when he heard the yaks becoming uneasy, and running back and forth in the little enclosure.
John was awake, and his eyes seemed to have a sort of glimmer as the light flared up. The rear end of the wagon led directly into the pen where the animals were, and no sooner had the light rays illuminated the enclosure than a heavy object sprang from an adjoining tree and landed on one of the yaks.
The latter was thrown across the pen with the impact of the force, and the Professor, who had the lamp, could not level his gun, but without a moment's hesitation John's gun was at his shoulder, and he fired before either of the boys could recover themselves in the excitement.
The firing of the gun seemed to raise pandemonium. The sudden appearance of the light, as the animal made the leap, disconcerted him, and the shot following immediately, caused him to utter a terrific growl. John grasped the Professor's gun and shot the second time, and the shot was at blank range. The animal gave a slight spring forward, and fell across a tree trunk which was at one side of the enclosure, and on which they had arranged the cooking utensils the night before.
This was exciting enough for one night's adventure, but as John and the boys were about to descend a crash in the trees to the right caused them to halt. The Professor held out his light, but the thick wood and the dense underbrush prevented any examination more than thirty or forty feet beyond.
The eagerness of the boys to return to the wagon caused the Professor to loose his grip on the lamp, and before he could recover the hold, it fell to the ground and was extinguished. The yaks appeared to be in a frenzy now, and the howling beyond increased in intensity. After a search the lamp was relit, and the two others also brought out and lighted, and the appearance of the light caused a hurried retreat of the howling beasts.
"It is a puma," were the Professor's first words, "the most enormous specimen I ever saw."
