twisted in curves, and many
were two feet in thickness. During my descent, I halted at intervals to
listen, and always heard one of the hounds, sometimes several. But as I
descended for a long time, and did not get anywhere or approach the
dogs, I began to grow impatient.

A large pinyon, with a dead top, suggested a good outlook, so I climbed
it, and saw I could sweep a large section of the slope. It was a
strange thing to look down hill, over the tips of green trees. Below,
perhaps four hundred yards, was a slide open for a long way; all the
rest was green incline, with many dead branches sticking up like spars,
and an occasional crag. From this perch I heard the hounds; then
followed a yell I thought was Jim's, and after it the bellowing of
Wallace's rifle. Then all was silent. The shots had effectually checked
the yelping of the hounds. I let out a yell. Another cougar that Jones
would not lasso! All at once I heard a familiar sliding of small rocks
below me, and I watched the open slope with greedy eyes.

Not a bit surprised was I to see a cougar break out of the green, and
go tearing down the slide. In less than six seconds, I had sent six
steel-jacketed bullets after him. Puffs of dust rose closer and closer
to him as each bullet went nearer the mark and the last showered him
with gravel and turned him straight down the canyon slope.

I slid down the dead pinyon and jumped nearly twenty feet to the soft
sand below, and after putting a loaded clip in my rifle, began kangaroo
leaps down the slope. When I reached the point where the cougar had
entered the slide, I called the hounds, but they did not come nor
answer me. Notwithstanding my excitement, I appreciated the distance to
the bottom of the slope before I reached it. In my haste, I ran upon
the verge of a precipice twice as deep as the first rim wall, but one
glance down sent me shatteringly backward.

With all the breath I had left I yelled: "Waa-hoo! Waa-hoo!" From the
echoes flung at me, I imagined at first that my friends were right on
my ears. But no real answer came. The cougar had probably passed along
this second rim wall to a break, and had gone down. His trail could
easily be taken by any of the hounds. Vexed and anxious, I signaled
again and again. Once, long after the echo had gone to sleep in some
hollow canyon, I caught a faint "Wa-a-ho-o-o!" But it might have come
from the clouds. I did not hear a hound barking above me on the slope;
but su