A LIVELY SCRIMMAGE.
Even as he dropped flat, and felt that lithe body pass swiftly over him,
Adrian heard a shout. Of course this must mean his chums had made the
alarming discovery that he was up against a hard proposition; they had
been watching him closely from a distance, and when the deer fell in
response to his shot doubtless they were about to give a whoop of
delight, but at sight of the leaping panther this was changed into a cry
of alarm.
Adrian did not deceive himself.
The fact that he had a couple of good, trustworthy friends so close at
hand would not cut much of a figure in his little affair with the hungry
panther, perhaps nothing at all.
They were some distance away, and even though making all the haste
possible, they must consume several minutes of precious time in reaching
him; before that came about his business with the gray-coated terror of
the canyons of the mountains would have been finished.
Accustomed to depending on himself in every emergency, the boy was not
at a loss as to what he should do under these trying circumstances.
It was lucky, of course, that in making an involuntary duck of his body
he had caused the panther to miss his aim. The creature had leaped true
enough, but having once left the limb on which he must have been
crouched, watching the advance of the human deer-hunter, he could not
alter the nature of his spring.
But just as soon as he landed on the ground the chances were the agile
beast was going to whirl around, and make another try. It was to meet
this attack that Adrian got himself in readiness, thrusting out his
rifle so as to ward off the savage claws until such time as he could
throw out the old shell, and pump another one into the firing chamber of
his gun.
It is true that this operation may be mechanically performed, and that
it really consumes a brief space of time; but there may be occasions
when even a second counts for a great deal. Adrian considered this such
a time, for it was of more importance that he face about and make ready
to keep the animal away, than that in the desperate attempt to get his
rifle ready he allow his side to go unprotected.
An old hunter would understand the instinct that caused the prairie boy
to act in this way; for he could place himself in a similar situation,
and realize just what a part instinct rather than reason would be apt to
play.
It turned out to be a wise move, too; for hardly had he thus whirled
around with gun extended, than the panther, having recovered from his
disappointing leap, came straight at him again.
It was far from a pleasant task that the boy had on his hands, trying to
thrust that clawing, growling beast away with his gun, all the while he
was fairly wild to work its mechanism, and get a good cartridge into the
chamber.
You may not suspect what a powerful beast a panther is, just by watching
him pace restlessly back and forth in his cage when you visit the Zoo,
or see him in a menagerie; but those hardened muscles of his are capable
of a tremendous force, once the beast is aroused to a state of fury.
Many an unfortunate hunter has rued the day or night when he found such
a beast attacking him in the forest; and if he lived through the battle
it was to find his garments torn almost to ribbons, while his flesh was
badly lacerated by the keen-pointed claws that were in action every
second of the time until a fortunate shot or blow from a knife laid the
animal out dead.
While he continued to thrust out with all his strength, in the endeavor
to keep the beast away from close quarters, Adrian was yelling at the
top of his lungs, not for help, but in the hope that the sound of a
human voice might gradually wear upon the nerves of the beast, and cause
him to slink away.
All the boy wanted was just a few winks of an eye, in order to get that
rifle in readiness for action; but as long as he was compelled to use
every atom of his strength in fending off these constant attacks, his
ambition did not seem likely to be gratified.
After all, the coming of Donald and Billie, also shouting like wild
Indians as they skipped over rocks, and rushed headlong toward the scene
of action, may have been a factor in deciding the result.
Adrian himself, calmly reviewing the whole affair later on, when he
could do so in a spirit of fairness, was ready to acknowledge that he
was indebted to them for the chance he yearned to grasp.
Hearing them coming may have slightly disconcerted the panther. It had
not been wounded thus far, so that its rage was only that of being
interfered with while stalking its legitimate prey, the feeding deer.
Consequently it might not be of a mind to face several enemies at once;
though a tiger-cat that has been made to feel the agony of a gunshot
wound will leap into a regiment at times, and start to make a clean
sweep, until borne down by force of numbers.
The animal hesitated at one point in its attack. Adrian was quick to
notice this little but significant fact; pressing his advantage he gave
a particularly loud whoop, and instead of standing on the defensive as
heretofore, he actually assumed the aggressive.
That proved to be the crux of the whole exciting little affair, for the
panther was surprised at the turn of events, and gave evidences of a
desire to retreat.
By now the boy's fighting spirit had been wholly aroused, and he was
determined that under no circumstances, if he could help it, should that
impudent panther get away unscathed. It had attacked him unprovoked; and
now he meant to see that the fighting cat got full measure, pressed
down, and running over.
Watching his chance Adrian suddenly jumped back, and at the same instant
there was heard the click of his gun's mechanism working.
It was all done like a flash, and he had timed his movement with such
precision as well as sagacity that before the beast could recover, and
either resume the attack or jump away, the young hunter was ready to put
the finishing stroke to his warmly contested game.
The other pair, having covered about half the ground by this time, and
still coming on wildly, saw their chum once more thrust out his gun; but
this time it was with a far different manner than before. There was also
a confidence in his action that told the experienced Donald what sort of
change had come about during that second or so of time.
Had he been given time to shout no doubt Donald would have voiced his
belief to the effect that Adrian had succeeded in rendering his magic
fire-stick serviceable again, by those few quick movements of his hands.
Of course it was as good as over now. At such close quarters Adrian,
being so accustomed to firearms, was not apt to miss a vital spot. And
when the discharge was heard the panther sprang into the air, rolled
over on the ground, clawing desperately, while Adrian stood close by,
though out of reach, his faithful weapon again in readiness to be used
in case of necessity.
But it was not required of him, for by the time Donald and Billie came
panting to the spot, the fat boy blowing like a porpoise with his
strenuous exertions, the gray-coated beast had stiffened out in death.
"Hurt any, Ad?" gasped Donald, as he surveyed his chum anxiously;
because he knew only too well how difficult such wounds as those given
by the claws of a carniverous animal are to heal, and what danger of
blood poisoning always hangs over the one who has received the same.
Adrian laughed as well as he was able in his nearly exhausted condition.
"Not a scratch--never touched me!" he managed to tell them; at which both
the others took off their hats, and gave a faint cheer.
When they had managed to in part recover their wind they bent over to
examine the cat, which both prairie lads declared to be the largest they
had ever seen.
"The nerve of the rascal, jumping at you just because you knocked over a
deer he had his eye on," remarked Billie, as he poked his toe into the
sleek skin of the slain beast.
"Well," said Donald, laughingly, "just put yourself in his place,
Billie, and think how ugly you'd feel if you had your mouth made up for
a certain sort of meal, and just when you were going to reach out to
grab it, some fellow stepped in and scooped the prize. Chances are you'd
feel like tackling him, and trying to take it away, now wouldn't you,
honest Injun?"
The fat boy screwed up his red, good-natured face as though pondering
over the subject; then he nodded his head like one of these automatic
dolls you see in the shop windows along about Christmas time.
"P'raps I might, Donald; mebbe you're right about that," he went on to
say presently; "because it sure is a mighty aggravating thing to have
your mouth made up for a mess of fried onions, and then not get 'em; and
it must be worse to be cheated out of everything at the same time. Yes,
I don't blame the scamp so much after all; but say, he sure barked up
the wrong tree when he thought to scare one of the Broncho Rider Boys
off, didn't he, fellows?"
"Looks that way," Donald replied.
"But we got the deer all right, and that means a feast of venison right
along now, the balance of our trip to the Zuni village, don't it?"
continued Billie, his blue eyes fairly snapping with delight; for while
they had had an abundance to eat thus far, fresh meat had been only
noticeable, as Billie would say, by its absence.
"Yes," Adrian went on to remark, "we'll have plenty of venison; and I'll
get busy cutting the animal up, if you boys will look after the horses;
and Donald you might slip that fine gray jacket off my panther; I reckon
it'll be worth keeping as a sort of reminder of the sassy way he tackled
me."
"I'll take care of the horses, all right," ventured Billie, who knew
very little about removing the skin of a dead animal, and moreover was
not anxious to take lessons in that line.
So it came about that for some little while all of them were more or
less busy, Adrian in cutting off the choice portions of the deer; Donald
in depriving the unfortunate panther of the sleek covering he had borne
all his life; while Billie led the horses, and after them the mule, to
water, which he found trickling down the face of the rocks near by.
"And," said the fat boy, after he had completed his part of the
programme, "seein' how close to noon it is right now, why not stop long
enough to let me make a little cooking fire out of these dead branches
under the cedar, and try a piece of the venison?" and silence giving
consent, he proceeded to immediately get busy.