alf-hour!

Overjoyed at this discovery, with hunger allayed, I stretched myself
under a tree, upon the foliage which had partially filled a space
between contiguous trunks, and fell asleep. How long I slept I know
not; but suddenly I was roused by a loud, shrill scream, like that of
a human being in distress, poured, seemingly, into the very portals of
my ear. There was no mistaking that fearful voice. I had been deceived
by and answered it a dozen times while threading the forest, with the
belief that it was a friendly signal. It was the screech of a mountain
lion, so alarmingly near as to cause every nerve to thrill with
terror. To yell in return, seize with convulsive grasp the limbs of
the friendly tree, and swing myself into it, was the work of a moment.
Scrambling hurriedly from limb to limb, I was soon as near the top as
safety would permit. The savage beast was snuffing and growling below
apparently on the very spot I had just abandoned. I answered every
growl with a responsive scream. Terrified at the delay and pawing of
the beast, I increased my voice to its utmost volume, broke branches
from the limbs, and, in the impotency of fright, madly hurled them at
the spot whence the continued howlings proceeded.

Failing to alarm the animal, which now began to make a circuit of the
tree, as if to select a spot for springing into it, I shook, with a
strength increased by terror, the slender trunk until every limb
rustled with the motion. All in vain. The terrible creature pursued
his walk around the tree, lashing the ground with his tail, and
prolonging his howlings almost to a roar. It was too dark to see, but
the movements of the lion kept me apprised of its position. Whenever I
heard it on one side of the tree I speedily changed to the
opposite--an exercise which, in my weakened state, I could only have
performed under the impulse of terror. I would alternately sweat and
thrill with horror at the thought of being torn to pieces and devoured
by this formidable monster. All my attempts to frighten it seemed
unavailing. Disheartened at its persistency, and expecting every
moment it would take the deadly leap, I tried to collect my thoughts,
and prepare for the fatal encounter which I knew must result. Just at
this moment it occurred to me that I would try silence. Clasping the
trunk of the tree with both arms, I sat perfectly still. The lion, at
this time ranging around, occasionally snuffing and pausing, and all
th