n at his
shoulder in a moment, and, hit or miss, he would have drawn the trigger.

"Why don't you shoot?" whispered Joe again.

"I can't," replied Rob. "It must be a tame one."

"Nonsense! You're mad. We're right away in the wilds."

"I don't care where we are," said Rob, who was growing cool and
confident; "this must be a tame one. I shall go forward."

"No, no--don't! He'll claw you down."

"He'd better not. I've got my finger on the trigger. Here! Hallo, old
chap! puss! puss! whose cat are you?"

"He's mad," whispered Joe as Rob advanced, and the puma stood firm
watching him, till they were so close together that, in full confidence
that they had met with a tame beast, the property of some settler or
Indian, he laid his gun in the hollow of his left arm, and stretched out
his right hand.

The puma winced slightly, and its eyes grew more dilate; but, as Rob
stood still, the wild look passed slowly away, and it remained
motionless.

"Don't! pray don't!" cried Joe in a hoarse whisper; "it will seize your
hand in its jaws."

"Nonsense! It's as tame as an old tom-cat," said Rob coolly. "Poor old
puss, then!" he continued, reaching out a little farther, so that he
could just softly touch the animal's cheek, passing his fingers along
toward its left ear.

"There, I told you so," he said, with a laugh, for the puma pressed its
head against his hand, giving it a rub in regular cat fashion, while as,
to Joe's horror, Rob continued his caress and began gently rubbing the
animal's head, it emitted a soft, purring noise, rolled its head about,
and ended by closing up and leaning against the lad's leg, passing
itself along from nose to tail, turning and repeating the performance,
and again on the other side.

"I am glad I didn't shoot," said Rob, bending down to stroke the
animal's back. "I say, isn't he a beauty! Come and make friends. He's
a bit afraid of us yet."

Joe stood fast, with the loaded gun presented, ready to fire and save
his friend's life the moment the creature seized him, when, to his
astonishment, the puma so thoroughly approved of the first human caress
it had ever received that it lay down, rolled over, wriggling its spine
when all four legs were in the air, rolled back again, scratching the
ground, and finally crouched and looked up as much as to say, "Go on."

Rob answered the appeal he read in the puma's eyes, and going down on
one knee, he patted and stroked it, when, quick as