IO6 ADVENTURES OF DR. ALLEN. 



the canyon. Soon I found that an enormous mountain lion 

 ( f elis concolor : known also as catamount,, cougar, panther 

 and puma) had been pursuing and that when I had 

 flushed them, they all went the same direction. When I had 

 gone about two miles I discovered that the lion had aban- 

 doned the trail and gone north. 



Half a mile farther on I left the trail and took a moun- 

 tain sheep path over a ledge of rocks. Here I found a 

 bunch of five black-tail deer (cervus Columbianus) and 

 could have killed them all, but they soon fled to the north. 

 I followed in this direction, as it was campward, and was 

 soon confronted by fallen timber and ledges of rock which 

 were almost impassable. I walked, leading Billy, and fin- 

 ally came out on another trail which led in the direction 

 of Rotten Grass, following the deer and the lion. The lion 

 was a monster, evidently now on a still hunt after the 

 deer. I believe he had been in my vicinity the greater part 

 of the day, and I now determined to hunt him. 



Coming to the creek bottom, I picketed my pony and 

 let him feed while I took a survey. On rounding a large 

 clump of bushes I found the deer had scattered and had 

 come out separately. The lion had not yet come out. I 

 was quite excited as I stood in a beaten trail just across 

 a little creek. It seemed to me that I detected either a strug- 

 gle or some faint sound. When I stepped forward to listen, 

 all was silent, save the murmuring of the stream and the 

 falling of the leaves. Some power held me to the spot, for 

 there I stood, apparently without a motive. 



At times I could hear a noise as if something were be- 

 ing dragged along, and suddenly I faced the trail across the 

 creek, and saw the largest lion I had ever beheld, coming 

 straight toward me. A black-tail doe was in his mouth, his 

 head was as high as his long neck would allow, and the legs 



