CHAPTER VII 



THE LION PLAYS SOFT PEDAL 



A^ TIMBERLINE on Specimen Moun- 

 tain I came upon the fresh tracks of a 

 mountain lion. He had climbed a cor- 

 ner of the mountain to timberline and here could 

 look off to right and left. I followed his tracks 

 up the snowy slope to read his story. 



Near the summit the lion crouched for a time 

 behind a low ridge, evidently to watch a number 

 of mountain sheep near by. While keeping out 

 of sight behind the ridge, he worked a few hun- 

 dred feet farther around, perhaps toward a lone 

 sheep. 



Tracks in the snow showed that at the oppor- 

 tune time the lion leaped out and rushed between 

 a lone young sheep and the flock. With an- 

 other dash he frightened it far down the slope 

 and away from the others. The many zigzags 

 and doublings of tracks on the mountain side 

 showed that the sheep had repeatedly tried to 

 dash back to the flock; but each attempt had 

 been foiled by the lion. 



The lion held the upper mountain slope and re- 

 103 



