SOME UNLOOKED-FOR GAME
It was a moment of dire peril and no one realized it more than did
the young hunter who had been attacked by the two wild beasts of
the forest. Like a flash he rolled over and doubled up to prevent
the wildcats from reaching his head and neck.
This quick movement sent the animals to the ground, and as they
landed Snap jumped forward and struck one of the wildcats with
the stock of his gun. It was a telling blow, for by luck more
than judgment it crushed the beast's skull.
The attack on its mate caused the other wildcat to pause. Then,
filled with a sudden fear, and failing to get at Whopper's throat,
it commenced to retreat.
"It's running away!" shouted Snap. "Kill it, Shep!"
The doctor's son had been dancing around, trying to get in a shot
without injuring Whopper.
Now he leveled his shotgun and banged away. It was a close-range
hit, and the head of the wildcat was almost blown from the body.
It was several seconds before the three boy hunters realized that
the battle was at an end. Slowly Whopper turned over and looked at
the two dead animals. He rose to his feet, panting heavily.
"Are they bo---both dead?" he asked.
"As dead as nails," answered Snap.
"I thought I was---was going to be---be chewed up!"
"It was a narrow escape."
"Say, after this, do you know what I think? I think we had better
kill the beasts first and take the pictures afterward!"
"Then we'll not have such good photos," returned the doctor's son.
"Yes; but what good are photos to a fellow if he gets killed?"
questioned Whopper ruefully.
"We'll have to be more careful, that's all," said Snap.
"What shall we do with the wildcats?"
"Leave them here, for all I care," answered the doctor's son.
"The skins are not much good at this time of year and after such
handling."
The three boys rested for a while, and then took a picture of the
dead wildcats with themselves in the background. So that all might
get in the pictures they set their cameras on rocks and worked them
by means of threads of black linen.
"I am afraid our shots have scared away all the game in this vicinity,"
remarked the doctor's son as they, trudged forward once more. And
so it seemed, for nothing came into view for the next hour. Then
Snap sighted some rabbits, but before he could get a shot the game
was out of sight.
At noon they rested in a glade that commanded a fine view of the
surrounding country and each of the boys took several time pictures
with small lens openings, so as to get sharp outlines.
It was well on toward the middle of the afternoon when they came
upon the trail of a deer. It looked to be quite fresh, and this
filled them with the hope of catching up to the game.
"We want to be mighty quiet," cautioned Snap, who was in the lead.
"The wind is uncertain and may carry the slightest sound to the deer."
"It will carry our scent, too," answered Whopper.
"That we can't help and will have to chance."
They followed the trail for fully half a mile, through something of
a hollow between the mountains. Here they came on quite a pond,
much to their surprise. The pond was filled with lilies and other
flowers, and on one side was a series of rocks leading to quite
a cliff.
"What a beautiful spot for a cabin!" cried Shep, forgetting all
about the deer, for a moment.
"Why not take some pictures?" suggested Snap. "We may not come
this way again."
The doctor's son was willing, and they took several views, one of
Whopper with his hand full of water lilies.
The trail of the deer led around the rocky elevation, and the three
young hunters were moving through some low brushwood when of a
sudden they heard a noise ahead of them.
"What's that?" asked Whopper.
"Bless me if I know," whispered the doctor's son. "Get your guns
ready."
"Here comes a deer!" shouted Snap, and an instant later a magnificent
buck burst into view, rushing around the other end of the cliff.
It appeared and disappeared so quickly that to get a shot was all
but impossible.
"Well, of all the chumps!" cried Snap in disgust. "Why didn't
somebody let drive?"
"Why didn't you?" asked Shep.
"I couldn't---the rocks were in the way."
"Well, the rocks were in my way, too."
"How can a fellow shoot at a streak of greased lightning?" asked
Whopper. "That buck was making a hundred miles a minute!"
"Well, that's the end of that game," muttered Snap, much crestfallen.
"Boys, it looks as if we were going to be skunked to-day."
"Oh, we've got a couple of hours yet," said the doctor's son. "But
I guess we had better turn back toward camp. We don't want to miss
our way in the dark."
"Let us go on a little," said Whopper. "I imagine that buck got
scared at something, and I'd like to know what it was."
"Maybe a bear," said Snap. "And if it is, you can be sure Mr.
Bruin will walk right away from us while we are thinking about
a shot," he added bitterly. He was disgusted to think they had
allowed both the rabbits and the deer to get away from them.
All of the boys were curious to know if anything had really frightened
the buck, and they went forward, but this time more cautiously
than ever. Passing the cliff, they came to a hillside, overgrown
with cedars and brushwood, with many loose stones between. Here
they had to progress even more slowly, for walking was treacherous
and none of them had a desire to twist an ankle or break a leg.
"I don't see a thing," said the doctor's son presently. "It's
a mighty lonely place, isn't it?"
"I fancied I saw something move, just beyond yonder clump of cedars,"
said Whopper, pointing with his hand.
"Whopper is seeing things," said Snap, laughing. "I guess the
wildcats and the deer got on his nerves."
"Well, don't believe me if you don't want to," answered Whopper
rather testily.
"We'll see if there is anything in it, anyway," answered the doctor's
son. "But I am not going any farther than those cedars. I am
getting tired---and it is high time we turned back, unless we want
to remain away from camp all night."
"No, I want to get back, too," answered Snap. "Sleeping out of
doors is all well enough once in a while, but I prefer to be under
some kind of a roof, even if it's only canvas."
The three boys moved forward once again, each with his gun ready
for use, should anything worth shooting appear. They came up
to the cedars and were then able to look beyond, where the mountain
side was full of rocks, with numerous holes between.
"Oh!" yelled Snap at the top of his lungs. "Look!"
All gazed in the direction indicated, and for once they were fairly
rooted to the spot. Before them, on a flat rock, stood a large and
magnificent lion, gazing boldly at them.