the deadly snake hunted by
night only, the Jaguar changed her former habit and went in search of
food during the daylight hours, spending the hours of darkness at home,
on guard against any similar intruder.

Warruk grew at a surprising rate; for, being alone the nourishment
ordinarily sufficient for two, occasionally even three, was all diverted
to his use. Before many weeks had passed he began to show interest in
various things that attracted his attention. After spending many hours
in admiration of his mother's beautiful coat, tawny with rosettes of
black dots and with longer and softer white fur underneath, he wondered
at the length of her claws, the whiteness of her fangs and the great
size of her--it tired him to walk completely around her as she lay
sprawled out on the floor.

There was also the tender care she gave him and her solicitude for his
welfare to be taken into consideration. She was forever caressing him
with her nose and washing his face with her tongue. The picture within
the cavity in the great cottonwood was a pleasant one to contemplate.
Suma the mother was a creature different from Suma the hunter moving
shadow-like through the forest intent on slaughter.

The hunting instinct asserted itself early in Warruk's life, and quite
unexpectedly. On one of his excursions around the outstretched form of
his mother he suddenly became conscious of a black fluff of something
that was jumping nervously from side to side. Crouching low, he watched
intently, prompted at first by curiosity. Back and forth the object
moved, lightly and without sound. An irresistible impulse came over the
cub; he ran forward a few steps, stopped, then sprang and the mysterious
thing was pinned firmly to the ground by his paws while his sharp little
teeth dug into it furiously.

Suma jumped to her feet with a grunt of surprise, quickly turned and
gave him a gentle cuff that however bowled him over, and when he
regained his feet, very much perturbed and startled, he arched up his
back and hissed, not knowing what else to do. It was the first time he
had noticed Suma's long, graceful tail, which was never quiet except
when she slept; but after that he had many a happy game of tag with the
tip of it even if there was the certainty of punishment ahead in the
event that his play became too strenuous. While his mother was a firm
believer in discipline she was never too severe; and often, after the
chastisement she hastened to cares