THE MURDEROUS CAT 203 



Suddenly, so suddenly, indeed, that the boy, 

 though watching, did not see the spring, the cat 

 launched himself at the nest and seized one of the 

 nestlings in his teeth. A quick crunch and all was 

 over. 



But it was also all over for the cat. 



Shan was but a second behind the spring, and, 

 as the beast drew back his head from the nest to 

 finish eating the pump but tiny morsel he had 

 seized, the heavy stick came down like a thunder- 

 bolt of vengeance and broke the animal's neck. 

 The cat quivered and fell heavily to the ground, the 

 nestling still tightly held in his stiffening jaws. 



The boy looked down, breathing hard with anger 

 and resentment. Something about the victim 

 looked familiar. 



It was Bull Adam's cat! 



It says a great deal for Shan's blunt and crude 

 training, and, for that matter, for the character of 

 his only tutor — the rugged old pot-hunter — that 

 the thought of quietly burying the cat and saying 

 nothing about it never occurred to him. As was 

 his habit when confused, or trying to think, he 

 sat down on the stump of a tree, pulled a persim- 

 mon leaf and began to chew it. 



''Bull was right smart fond of that cat," he 



