WITH THE COUGAR HOUNDS 59 



were plentiful; but we had only ridden about half an 

 hour from the ranch when we came across a trail which 

 by the size we knew must belong to an old male. It was 

 about thirty-six hours old and led into a tangle of bad 

 lands where there was great difficulty in working it 

 out. Finally, however, we found where it left these bad 

 lands and went straight up a mountain-side, too steep for 

 the horses to follow. From the plains below we watched 

 the hounds working to and fro until they entered a patch 

 of pinyons in which we were certain the cougar had 

 killed a deer, as ravens and magpies were sitting around 

 in the trees. In these pinyons the hounds were again at 

 fault for a little while, but at last evidently found the 

 right trail, and followed it up over the hill-crest and out 

 of sight. We then galloped hard along the plain to the 

 left, going around the end of the ridge and turning to 

 our right on the other side. Here we entered a deep 

 narrow valley or gorge which led up to a high plateau 

 at the farther end. On our right, as we rode up the 

 valley, lay the high and steep ridge over which the hounds 

 had followed the trail. On the left it was still steeper, 

 the slope being broken by ledges and precipices. Near 

 the mouth of the gorge we encountered the hounds, who 

 had worked the trail down and across the gorge, and were 

 now hunting up the steep cliff-shoulder on our left. Evi- 

 dently the cougar had wandered to and fro over this 

 shoulder, and the dogs were much puzzled and worked 

 in zigzags and circles around it, gradually getting clear 

 to the top. Then old Boxer suddenly gave tongue with 

 renewed zest and started off at a run almost on top of 



