THE COWARDLY COUGAR 



The complexion of our outing, by the way, 

 began to alter immediately after our first 

 glimpse of the Canon. Doubts began to rise 

 in our minds as to whether we were, after all, 

 precisely the men for this undertaking. These 

 doubts were intensified when, as a matter of 

 precaution, Louis looked up in the hotel ency- 

 clopedia a description of the animal we had 

 come to. capture. What he found caused us 

 to question the complete frankness of Mr. 

 "Buffalo" Jones's report to us, for it read in 

 part: 



The cougar, or puma, is ordinarily a cowardly animal, 

 but when wounded or brought to bay it is dangerous. It 

 is entirely silent. Etc. 



It seemed that we had been deceived. Mr. 

 Jones had not dealt fairly with us, and Am- 

 brose Means well, he had probably never 

 read an encyclopedia with care. The ques- 

 tion arose, therefore, whether we should 

 satisfy our longing for adventure by a sight- 

 seeing trip on a buckboard and return to face 

 our respective and expectant wives, or whether 

 we should go on across the Canon and risk the 

 lions. When the matter was put in this light, 

 not one man wavered. A lion at bay is not a 

 pleasant neighbor, but, for that matter, neither 



