chased Muss out of camp whenever Dale's
back was turned, and sometimes Muss stayed away, shifting for himself.
With the advent of Bo, who spent a good deal of time on the animals,
Muss manifestly found the camp more attractive. Whereupon, Dale
predicted trouble between Tom and Muss.

Bo liked nothing better than a rough-and-tumble frolic with the black
bear. Muss was not very big nor very heavy, and in a wrestling bout with
the strong and wiry girl he sometimes came out second best. It spoke
well of him that he seemed to be careful not to hurt Bo. He never bit
or scratched, though he sometimes gave her sounding slaps with his paws.
Whereupon, Bo would clench her gauntleted fists and sail into him in
earnest.

One afternoon before the early supper they always had, Dale and Helen
were watching Bo teasing the bear. She was in her most vixenish mood,
full of life and fight. Tom lay his long length on the grass, watching
with narrow, gleaming eyes.

When Bo and Muss locked in an embrace and went down to roll over and
over, Dale called Helen's attention to the cougar.

"Tom's jealous. It's strange how animals are like people. Pretty soon
I'll have to corral Muss, or there'll be a fight."

Helen could not see anything wrong with Tom except that he did not look
playful.

During supper-time both bear and cougar disappeared, though this was not
remarked until afterward. Dale whistled and called, but the rival pets
did not return. Next morning Tom was there, curled up snugly at the foot
of Bo's bed, and when she arose he followed her around as usual. But
Muss did not return.

The circumstance made Dale anxious. He left camp, taking Tom with him,
and upon returning stated that he had followed Muss's track as far as
possible, and then had tried to put Tom on the trail, but the cougar
would not or could not follow it. Dale said Tom never liked a bear
trail, anyway, cougars and bears being common enemies. So, whether by
accident or design, Bo lost one of her playmates.

The hunter searched some of the slopes next day and even went up on one
of the mountains. He did not discover any sign of Muss, but he said he
had found something else.

"Bo you girls want some more real excitement?" he asked.

Helen smiled her acquiescence and Bo replied with one of her forceful
speeches.

"Don't mind bein' good an' scared?" he went on.

"You can't scare me," bantered Bo. But Helen looked doubtful.

"Up in one of the parks I ran acro