THE MOUNTAIN LION
It was a time of extreme peril, and both of the Rover boys realized it.
The shelf of rock was not over twenty feet ahead of them, and on this
rested the mountain lion, crouched as if for a spring.
Fred had scarcely spoken when both horses began to snort and stamp their
feet as if wanting to turn and run away.
"Look out!" screamed Andy, "or the horses will take us right back among
those mad cattle."
With the discovery of the mountain lion, that lay close to the rocky
shelf with glaring eyes and tail that swept nervously from side to side,
the boys had noted that the animal was as much penned in as they were
themselves. Beyond the shelf was an overhanging cliff, so that further
progress in that direction was cut off completely. Had this not been so,
it is more than likely that the mountain lion would have turned and slunk
away, for like all wild beasts they do not fight unless they think it is
necessary to do so.
"Come on--give him a shot!" exclaimed Fred, as soon as he could recover
from his astonishment.
His weapon was handy, and in a moment the pistol rang out sharply, and
this shot was followed by one from his cousin.
Had the two boys been on the ground their shots might have been more
effective. But it was another task to aim from the back of a restive
horse that was threatening every instant to bolt, and so both bullets
merely grazed the mountain lion's side.
But these shots, mingled with those coming from the plain below, had one
good effect. The cattle had been stopped in their mad flight and now they
turned back in the direction in which the cowboys wanted them to go.
As the pistols rang out the mountain lion gave a scream of commingled
pain and rage. Then it crept forward several feet and made a movement as
if on the point of leaping for Fred and his steed.
"Back up! Back up, Fred!" yelled Andy, and fired a second time, and his
cousin did likewise.
This time the aim of the boys was better, and the mountain lion was hit
in one of the forelegs and in the flank. It made a sudden leap, but the
wound in the leg made it fall short, and it fell down between the rocks
directly in front of where Fred's horse was standing.
As the mountain lion went down in the hollow the horse uttered another
wild snort and an instant later leaped directly over the wild beast,
coming down at the foot of the rocky ledge beyond. The steed Andy rode
backed violently until some other rocks stopped its retreat.
"Hi there! What are you shooting at?" came a cry from below, and the two
boys recognized the voice of Joe Jackson.
"It's a lion!" called back Andy.
"Then plug him! Plug him quick!" yelled Jackson. "Plug him before he gets
a chance to get at you!"
There was no need for this advice, for Andy was already taking aim. This
time the bullet passed through the body of the lion and the beast leaped
up, turning over and over convulsively. Then Fred managed to steady his
mount for a moment, and he, too, fired, this time catching the mountain
lion in the ear. Then the beast gave a final leap and tumbled down the
rocks almost at the feet of the astonished ranch foreman.
"Are you hurt?" demanded Jackson anxiously, as he gave a glance at the
lion to make certain that it was breathing its last.
"No," came from both of the boys. But it must be confessed that their
voices were trembling. They had all they could do to quiet their horses,
the steeds showing a great inclination to leap over the rough rocks and
run away.
By the time that Fred and Andy managed to descend to the plain below them
the stampede of the cattle, which had been only momentary, was coming to
an end, only two steers having run away for parts unknown.
"But they'll come back, Boss," said one of the cowboys to Jackson. "They
always do. You can't hire 'em to herd by themselves. They'll sure be
back."
"A mountain lion! What do you know about that!" exclaimed Jack, as he
came riding up, followed by the other boys.
"Did he hurt you at all?" questioned Spouter quickly.
"He didn't get a chance," answered Fred, just a bit proudly. "Andy and I
let drive at him almost as soon as we saw him."
"A pretty powerful beast, I'll say," remarked Gif, as he made an
examination of the lion that was now dead. "I don't think I'd like to
face such a creature."
"We had to fight him," declared Andy. "He was right up on that rocky
shelf yonder, and he couldn't back out. If he had had the chance he'd
have leaped right on us."
"Well, you're the prize hunters of this crowd," declared Randy.
"You can't put that down to hunting," answered his twin promptly. "That
was simply a case of necessity."
"Anyway, you've got the lion, and that skin will make some rug," declared
Spouter.
"I wonder if there are any other mountain lions around?" remarked Gif.
"I'd like to get a shot at one of them myself."
"They often travel in pairs," answered Joe Jackson. "But if you're going
after lions you had better arm yourselves with rifles. It was only good
luck that brought this beast down with pistol bullets."
"The pistols were good enough at close quarters," answered Andy. "Just
the same, I'd rather shoot the next mountain lion from a distance," he
added dryly.
Of course, when the boys rode up to the ranch home with the carcass of
the dead lion there was a good deal of excitement among the older folks
and the girls, and Fred and Andy had to tell their story in detail.
"You really must be more careful in the future, boys," declared Mrs. Sam
Rover. "Why, you might have been trampled under foot by the cattle, as
well as chewed up by this mountain lion!"
"I didn't know there was any danger of the cattle stampeding," put in
Mrs. Tom Rover.
"Oh, Jackson assures me that the stampede wasn't of much consequence,"
remarked Songbird Powell. "But, of course, the boys shouldn't have gotten
in front of the animals. But this question of facing a mountain lion is
another story."
"Py chimminy! you don't vas cotch me facin' no mountain lions," declared
Hans Mueller emphatically. "I did me dot years ago, ven I go oud mit your
faders. But I ton't do him no more alreatty."
"Oh, Fred, you must be more careful!" protested May to the youngest
Rover, when she got the chance. "Suppose that lion had jumped right on
top of you?"
"Believe me, May, I didn't want to get so close," he answered. "When we
discovered the beast he wasn't over twenty feet away."
"And they told us there weren't very many wild beasts around here!" came
from Martha. "After this I guess we had better be careful how we roam
through the woods and along the river."
"Oh, they're not likely to harm you unless you corner them," said
Songbird Powell. "They'll sneak away from you if you give them half a
chance. It's only when they're cornered or when they're needing food that
they are really combative."
The mountain lion was skinned and the pelt taken away by the ranch
foreman to be cured, and then Fred and Andy took it easy for the rest of
the day.
"Isn't it queer that Brassy Bangs has never showed himself around this
place?" remarked Spouter that evening. "Wouldn't you think he'd at least
ride over to see what sort of an outfit we had here?"
"More than likely he's afraid of his welcome," said Jack. "He knows that
none of us care for him."
"I'd like to know if he really started that auto," put in Fred.
"Gosh, what a sour fellow that Jarley Bangs was!" exclaimed Andy.
There had been an indication of a storm, but this had passed away, and
one day found the Rover boys and their chums off on a trip along a trail
which led across the river and to the mountains westward, a trail which
they were informed by Jackson led between the ranches owned by Jarley
Bangs and Bimbel.
"I'd like to get a better view of Bimbel's ranch and also of Bangs'
place," declared Jack. "And maybe we'll see something of Bud Haddon and
his crowd."
All of the boys were now on good terms with Hop Lung, and he had prepared
for them a substantial lunch and also something extra in case they should
remain out after the supper hour.
"Now you lads take good care of yourselves," admonished Tom Rover, when
they were ready to depart on their day's outing. "No more rattlesnakes or
mountain lions!"
"Or mix-ups with runaway cattle," put in Sam Rover.
Spouter and Jack carried small rifles, and the others were armed with
pistols. They, however, were not going out to hunt, but thought best to
provide themselves with the firearms in case any game presented itself.
It did not take the boys long to cross the river, and then they followed
a trail which led up a long hill and through a somewhat dense forest.
They had journeyed along the best part of two hours when they noticed the
sun going under a cloud. This caused the trail under the trees to become
dark.
"Gee! I wonder if we're going to have a storm?" remarked Randy.
"Oh, maybe it's nothing but a wind cloud," answered Spouter.
They continued to move along the trail, and presently reached a small
opening where there was a spring.
"Halt!" called out Jack, who was riding ahead with Spouter.
"What's the matter?" questioned Gif quickly.
"Look there! Isn't that a wolf?" asked Jack. He pointed with his rifle,
which he had already unslung, and all the boys looked in the direction
pointed out.
"Maybe it's a dog," put in Fred quickly.
"You don't want to shoot somebody's pet," admonished Gif.
The animal had slunk away behind some brushwood, and now they saw it
trying to retreat, pulling something through the dead leaves as it did
so.
"It's a wolf! I'm sure of it!" declared Jack, and, raising his rifle, he
took quick aim and fired.
As the echo of the firearm died away the lads heard a snarl and a yelp,
and an instant later a gaunt wolf showed himself, his fangs gleaming
dangerously as he came closer.
Several shots rang out, for all of the boys had their weapons ready. The
wolf was hit in three places, and gave a single leap into the air and
then dropped lifeless.
"Hurrah! We've got him!" yelled Randy, with satisfaction.
"Be careful! Don't go too close before we're sure," warned Jack. "Better
reload first."
But the wolf was past doing further harm, and having assured themselves
of this the boys looked at what he had been carrying away.
"It's the side of a calf!" exclaimed Spouter. "Isn't this the limit? I'm
glad we brought him down!"
"He must have been raiding some cow yard," said Jack.
"No ranch cow yard," said Gif. "This half of a calf was skinned by some
person. I'll bet he stole it out of some ranch larder." And later on it
was learned that the calf meat had been stolen from Jarley Bangs' place
the night before.
The boys had become so interested in bringing down the wolf that they had
paid no attention to what was taking place overhead. But now they noticed
that the sky was more overcast than ever. The wind began to blow through
the woods, and of a sudden there came a downpour as surprising as it was
dismaying.