THE COWARDLY COUGAR 



ring chorus rose from beneath our feet, and we 

 could see the dogs leaping at the base of a tall 

 pine far below. 



"No rough stuff this time," Ambrose 

 cautioned, as we went crashing downward. 

 "We're going to rope, throw, and brand this 

 bird, and bring him out alive." 



This cougar looked like the twin sister of 

 the other one. She, too, was poised in the 

 lower branches of her tree, and peering curi- 

 ously down at the dogs when we arrived. 

 Once again we took positions where we could 

 ease her fall in case she decided to jump. 



Ambrose, with his lariat in his teeth, went 

 up to call, but as he mounted toward her the 

 lioness retreated. After some trouble he 

 managed to get above her, but as he uncoiled 

 his rope she quitted her position and soared 

 outward in a mighty leap. 



She hit so hard that she bounced, but away 

 she darted, with the dogs at her tail and with 

 us rampaging after. A quarter-of-a-mile run 

 and we found her rocking comfortably in a 

 brushy oak. The branches hid her body, but 

 her head protruded from the very top. Hur- 

 riedly we cut a pole for Ambrose, but it was 

 not a good pole-growing neighborhood and 



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