ey
reached the forest's end and the boundless reaches of papyrus marshes,
pampas and tree islands lay before them Suma did not hesitate to slay
whatever came within her reach. Warruk was always an interested
spectator from some nearby point of concealment.

It was at the edge of one of the marshes that the cub saw his first
deer. Suma had sensed his presence and stood tense and alert while the
cub, a few feet in her wake, gazed at the fringe of swaying reeds in the
tops of which black birds with red heads sat and trilled a cheery
warble. Suddenly the stems parted and the head of a deer, crowned with
wide-spreading antlers appeared framed in the mass of green. Warruk was
fascinated by the sight of the magnificent animal which seemed to
challenge them and expected his mother to hurl herself upon it and bring
it down so that he could feel the joy of possessing it and of examining
it at closer range. But Suma did nothing of the kind; she stood like an
inanimate thing as the moments passed, knowing well that the deer's
curiosity would cause it to draw nearer; that would be the time for the
spring. But Warruk did not know this. He waited as long as he could and
then bounded to his mother's side with an inquisitive whine. The spell
was broken. The deer turned and vanished with a crackling of reeds and
the splash of water; in a moment it was safe in the depths of the marsh.
Suma knew better than to follow; she merely bestowed a look of disgust
upon her young and moved away.

That very afternoon Warruk's very existence was threatened. His mother
had penetrated into the papyrus a short distance the more fully to
investigate a promising scent while he waited without. A spotted form,
very like his mother but of much smaller size, darted from the reeds not
ten yards away and stood eyeing him. Warruk did not like the other
creature's looks and said so in a low growl, but instead of moving away
it advanced a few steps and made an ugly grimace. How dared the
impudent thing affect such boldness! The cub was accustomed to seeing
much larger animals beat a hasty retreat upon the approach of himself
and his mother and somehow he had gained the impression that he might be
at least partly the cause of their temerity. But this stranger actually
threatened him. In resentment he rushed blindly forward until the
ocelot, for such it was, also charged and bowled him over with a swift
stroke of its paw. He regained his feet with difficulty and scr