ection. He
sheered off to the left. Sounder's illusive bay came up from a deep
cleft. Wallace plunged into a pinyon, climbed to the ground, skidded
down a solid slide, to come upon an impassable the obstacle in the form
of a solid wall of red granite. Sounder appeared and came to him,
evidently having given up the chase.

Wallace consumed four hours in making the ascent. In the notch of the
curve of the second rim wall, he climbed the slippery steps of a
waterfall. At one point, if he had not been six feet five inches tall
he would have been compelled to attempt retracing his trail--an
impossible task. But his height enabled him to reach a root, by which
he pulled himself up. Sounder he lassoed a la Jones, and hauled up. At
another spot, which Sounder climbed, he lassoed a pinyon above, and
walked up with his feet slipping from under him at every step. The
knees of his corduroy trousers were holes, as were the elbows of his
coat. The sole of his left boot, which he used most in climbing--was
gone, and so was his hat.

CHAPTER 15.

JONES ON COUGARS

The mountain lion, or cougar, of our Rocky Mountain region, is nothing
more nor less than the panther. He is a little different in shape,
color and size, which vary according to his environment. The panther of
the Rockies is usually light, taking the grayish hue of the rocks. He
is stockier and heavier of build, and stronger of limb than the Eastern
species, which difference comes from climbing mountains and springing
down the cliffs after his prey.

In regions accessible to man, or where man is encountered even rarely,
the cougar is exceedingly shy, seldom or never venturing from cover
during the day. He spends the hours of daylight high on the most rugged
cliffs, sleeping and basking in the sunshine, and watching with
wonderfully keen sight the valleys below. His hearing equals his sight,
and if danger threatens, he always hears it in time to skulk away
unseen. At night he steals down the mountain side toward deer or elk he
has located during the day. Keeping to the lowest ravines and thickets,
he creeps upon his prey. His cunning and ferocity are keener and more
savage in proportion to the length of time he has been without food. As
he grows hungrier and thinner, his skill and fierce strategy
correspondingly increase. A well-fed cougar will creep upon and secure
only about one in seven of the deer, elk, antelope or mountain sheep
that he stalks. But a starving c