114 ON THE EDGE OF THE WILDERNESS 
Scarcely had, she reached her post over the 
trail than a fawn appeared, a bit more than half 
grown, trotting and leaping down the dim game 
trail, evidently seeking his mother. As he drew 
near the old cat, his nose told him there was 
danger, and he suddenly reared, and then swerved 
toward the thicker bushes. But with a yowl the 
cat sprang far out from the rock, and landed 
squarely on his shoulder. The deer gave a 
frightened bellow and began to rear and plunge 
as he ran, endeavoring to batter the cat off his 
neck by diving sideways against trees. The cat, 
however, with incredible speed and agility, shifted 
from one side of his back to the other, keeping 
her forepaws around his neck, claws sunk in 
deep, and tearing with her powerful, razor-like 
teeth. The kittens saw her disappear down the 
mountain on her wild ride, and as fast as they 
could, they scampered after. 
It was down in the chestnuts that they found 
her. The fawn had tripped and fallen, and that 
gave her the chance to get in a death grab at a 
vital artery. The little deer was breathing its 
last. The mother cat snarled and cuffed her 
