"I shall stand it no longer," cried Basil. "We'll be roasted outright.
You, brothers, take that one, I'll aim at this--so--now--fear not--
fire!"

As Basil ceased speaking, the three cracks sounded almost together; and,
as soon as they had fired, all three leaped out of the blazing cordon.
Whether Lucien and Francois had missed their aim was not known until
afterwards; but Basil had not missed his. He had wounded the cougar;
and scarcely had the young hunters got clear of the fiery circle, when
the infuriated animal sprang into it, and was seen, now upon its feet,
and now rolling over the ground in the throes of death. Marengo
attacked it; but both got among the red cinders, and the dog was fain to
make his escape out again. The cougar, left to itself, soon ceased its
struggles, and lay upon the ground, to all appearance, dead.

But what of the other?

As all three stood listening, the snorting and stamping of horses fell
upon their ears, and above all was heard the squealing of the mule
Jeanette! This lasted for a few minutes, and at length all was silent
as before.

"Poor Jeanette!" thought they. "The other has made a meal of her.
Well--we must do without her, that's all."

They kept watch until daybreak, still fearful that the cougar might come
back for its mate. The rain had now begun to fall, and poured down in
torrents, drowning out their fires. They did not attempt to rekindle
them; but stood, with their blankets around their shoulders, sheltering
themselves as they best could under the trees.

When the daylight came, what was their surprise as well as joy to see
Jeanette quietly browsing at the end of her trail-rope, and close by her
the body of the cougar lying dead upon the ground! It had been wounded
by the shots; but that, as they soon ascertained, was not the cause of
its death, for its body was crushed and its ribs broken! For some time
they could not understand this. At length, however, it was explained to
them. The situation in which the animal was found enabled them to clear
up the mystery. It was lying by the foot of a large tree, against
which, no doubt, it had got the squeeze that had killed it. While
retreating it had sprung upon Jeanette; and the latter, in her
endeavours to escape, had in the darkness rushed violently against the
tree, crushing the cougar, and killing it instantly!

The fierce brute had left the trace of its claws upon Jeanette's back
and withers; and a deep