34 AN AMERICAN HUNTER 



by, if unassisted by Goff's keen eyes and thorough knowl- 

 edge of the habits of the quarry. Finally, there was no 

 object in making an early start, as what we expected to 

 find was not the cougar, but the cougar's trail ; moreover, 

 the horses and dogs, tough though they were, .could not 

 stand more than a certain amount, and to ride from sun- 

 rise to sunset, day in and day out, for five weeks, just 

 about tested the limits of their endurance. 



We made our way slowly up the snow-covered, pin- 

 yon-clad side of the mountain back of the house, and 

 found a very old cougar trail which it was useless to try 

 to run, and a couple of fresh bobcat trails which it was 

 difficult to prevent the dogs from following. After criss- 

 crossing over the shoulders of this mountain for two or 

 three hours, and scrambling in and out of the ravines, 

 we finally struck another cougar trail, much more recent, 

 probably made thirty-six hours before. The hounds had 

 been hunting free to one side or the other of our path. 

 They were now summoned by a blast of the horn, and 

 with a wave of Goff's hand away they went on the trail. 

 Had it been fresh they would have run out of hearing 

 at once, for it was fearfully rough country. But they were 

 able to work but slowly along the loops and zigzags of 

 the trail, where it led across bare spaces, and we could 

 keep well in sight and hearing of them. Finally they 

 came to where it descended the sheer side of the mountain 

 and crossed the snow-covered valley beneath. They were 

 still all together, the pace having been so slow, and in 

 the snow of the valley the scent was fresh. It was a fine 

 sight to see them as they rushed across from one side to 



