248 NEIGHBOURS UNKNOWN 



to hunt down the dangerous adversary whom 

 they had challenged. The woman, who car- 

 ried a rifle of the same pattern as the man's, 

 was almost as sure a shot as he. The con- 

 tinued absence of the cow, the wound on 

 the red steer's flank, the defiant network of 

 tracks all about the cabin, showed clearly 

 enough that the fight was now to the death. 

 The man and woman knew there would be 

 no security for them as long as the mother 

 panther remained alive. Therefore they 

 were in haste to settle the matter. They 

 picked out a distinct trail and followed it. 

 It led them straight to the body of the slain 

 cow, which the slayer had visited twice in the 

 course of the night, just to satisfy her thirst 

 for vengeance. 



But at the moment when the two indignant 

 hunters were examining the carcase of the 

 cow, the panther was at their cabin-door, 

 listening. She had seen the man and woman 

 hurry away. Now she could hear quite 

 distinctly the little complainings of her 

 young. She pushed against the heavy door 

 till it creaked, but there was no entrance for 

 her by that way. Close by was the window. 

 Standing up on her hind legs, she stared in. 

 At last she managed to make out the two 

 cubs, lying in a corner in a box of rags and 



