ge cat. The cage, I should say, was about
six feet high and eight square, composed of strong hickory, or oak bars,
placed so close together, that no animal could force its way out, while
only such as had teeth as strong as those of the beaver, could have
bitten through the wood. The door was made to slide from side to side,
in order that only as much of it as was necessary need be opened at a
time. Uncle Denis, having untied the string of the bag, put the mouth
inside, when out bounded a beautiful little animal of a tawny hue, with
a long tail and a remarkably small head, somewhat more elongated than
that of a cat. On its back and sides were several rows of dark streaks,
and on its shoulders some spots of similar colour, resembling those of
the leopard. It made towards the opposite bars, but finding it could
not get out, began circling round and round the cage, looking very much
astonished on finding that, although out of the bag, it could not
escape.

"Why, that's a young panther," exclaimed Dan. "Do you hope ever to tame
it, Uncle Denis?"

"A `painter' it is, or rather a puma, to give it its proper name: I have
no doubt that in a short time, it will be as gentle as a domestic cat,"
answered our uncle; "but we must take care not to irritate it, as its
temper is none of the sweetest."

The little creature continued running round and round, sometimes leaping
up, and trying to scramble to the top of the cage, expecting, probably,
to find an outlet in that direction. When at length it found all its
efforts of no avail, it seemed to resign itself to its fate. Uncle
Denis having brought it some small pieces of meat, it devoured them
greedily, and looked towards his hands, expecting more. He gave it a
very small portion at a time, refusing to give it any food, until it
came humbly crawling up to receive the morsel. He then put in a number
of leafy boughs, under which it crawled and went to sleep. The next day
it was evidently tamer, and more accustomed to the sight of human
beings, and after this, the moment he appeared, it came towards him in a
suppliant manner to receive its food. In less than a week, it was
perfectly tame, and before a month was over, followed him about like a
dog, while it became on perfectly friendly terms with the rest of the
animals. At first it evidently stood in awe of Bruin, conscious that
the bear had the power of giving it an unpleasant gripe, but finding
itself unharmed, began to