THE LION PLAYS SOFT PEDAL 109 



low ridge and neither sheep nor lion, judging 

 from their tracks, had heard or scented me. 

 I had not suspected their near presence. Both 

 sheep and the lion had travelled leisurely. 

 There was nothing to indicate how closely the 

 lion had followed them, nor any sign to indicate 

 that they knew they were followed. 



I spent the night at timberline, and the 

 following morning took up the trail. A short 

 distance from camp I came upon a fresh lion 

 track, one made during the night. I followed 

 it. This lion had crept up to within twenty 

 feet of my camp, taken a long look, and then 

 climbed a cliff from which she could see me. 

 She hurried off the rear of the cliff as I trailed 

 toward it. Going out on the ridge to my tracks of 

 the evening before I discovered that this second 

 lion had been trailing me just how closely or 

 how long was an interesting speculation. Hop- 

 ing to find out, I set off for the summit again. 



Close to the top, near where the lion had lain 

 in wait for the sheep, I came upon the track of 

 the lion that was following me. She had been 

 close. One place where I had lingered she had 

 cautiously crept near. She could have leaped 

 upon me. But had chance suddenly brought 

 us together, each probably would have dis- 

 figured the skyline with figures speeding apart. 



I returned to the first lion's tracks and down 



