es held tightly. Don was standing up with her, upheld by the hooked
claws in his head. The cougar had her paws outstretched; her mouth open
wide, showing long, cruel, white fangs; she was trying to pull the head
of the dog to her. Don held back with all his power, and so did Jones.
Moze and Sounder were tussling round her body. Suddenly both ears of
the dog pulled out, slit into ribbons. Don had never uttered a sound,
and once free, he made at her again with open jaws. One blow sent him
reeling and stunned. Then began again that wrestling whirl.

"Beat off the dogs! Beat off the dogs!" roared Jones. "She'll kill
them! She'll kill them!"

Frank and I seized clubs and ran in upon the confused furry mass,
forgetful of peril to ourselves. In the wild contagion of such a savage
moment the minds of men revert wholly to primitive instincts. We swung
our clubs and yelled; we fought all over the bottom of the ravine,
crashing through the bushes, over logs and stones. I actually felt the
soft fur of the cougar at one fleeting instant. The dogs had the
strength born of insane fighting spirit. At last we pulled them to
where Don lay, half-stunned, and with an arm tight round each, I held
them while Frank turned to help Jones.

The disheveled Jones, bloody, grim as death, his heavy jaw locked,
stood holding to the lasso. The cougar, her sides shaking with short,
quick pants, crouched low on the ground with eyes of purple fire.

"For God's sake, get a half-hitch on the saplin'!" called the cowboy.

His quick grasp of the situation averted a tragedy. Jones was nearly
exhausted, even as he was beyond thinking for himself or giving up. The
cougar sprang, a yellow, frightful flash. Even as she was in the air,
Jones took a quick step to one side and dodged as he threw his lasso
round the sapling. She missed him, but one alarmingly outstretched paw
grazed his shoulder. A twist of Jones's big hand fastened the
lasso--and Kitty was a prisoner. While she fought, rolled, twisted,
bounded, whirled, writhed with hissing, snarling fury, Jones sat
mopping the sweat and blood from his face.

Kitty's efforts were futile; she began to weaken from the choking.
Jones took another rope, and tightening a noose around her back paws,
which he lassoed as she rolled over, he stretched her out. She began to
contract her supple body, gave a savage, convulsive spring, which
pulled Jones flat on the ground, then the terrible wrestling started
again. The la