that it was none other than the trail to the puma's lair, his
satisfaction increased. He would be sure to find either the puma at
home or the puma's young unguarded.

[Illustration: "When the grizzly saw her, his wicked little dark eyes
glowed suddenly red."]

When the puma, at last, saw him emerge around a curve of the trail,
and noted his enormous stature, she gave one longing, wistful look
back over her shoulder to the shadowed nook wherein her cubs lay
sleeping. Had there been any chance to get them both safely away, she
would have shirked the fight, for their sakes. But she could not carry
them both in her mouth at once up the face of the mountain. She would
not desert either one. She hesitated a moment, as if doubtful whether
or not to await attack in the mouth of the cave. Then she crept
farther out, where the ledge was not three feet wide, and crouched
flat, silent, watchful, rigid, in the middle of the trail.

When the grizzly saw her, his wicked little dark eyes glowed suddenly
red, and he came up with a lumbering rush. With his gigantic, furry
bulk, it looked as if he must instantly annihilate the slim, light
creature that opposed him. It was a dreadful place to give battle, on
that straight shelf of rock overhanging a sheer drop of perhaps a
thousand feet. But scorn and rage together blinded the sagacity of the
bear. With a grunt he charged.

Not until he was within ten feet of her did the crouching puma stir.
Then she shot into the air, as if hurled up by the release of a mighty
spring. Quick as a flash the grizzly shrank backward upon his haunches
and swept up a huge black paw to parry the assault. But he was not
quite quick enough. The puma's spring overreached his guard. She
landed fairly upon his back, facing his tail; but in the fraction of
a second she had whirled about and was tearing at his throat with
teeth and claws, while the terrible talons of her hinder paws ripped
at his flanks.

With a roar of pain and amazement the grizzly struggled to shake her
off, clutching and striking at her with paws that at one blow could
smash in the skull of the most powerful bull. But he could not reach
her. Then he reared up, and threw himself backwards against the face
of the rock, striving to crush her under his enormous weight. And in
this he almost succeeded. Just in time, she writhed around and
outward, but not quite far enough, for one paw was caught and ground
to a pulp. But at the next instant, thru