THE LIFE AND DEATH OF LUCY 139 
they were almost on her. She cuffed the three 
kittens under a rock, and turned to fight. Alone, 
she could have escaped, no doubt. At any rate, 
she had more than once in the past. But now she 
had her kittens to defend. There were two dogs, 
one a bit ahead of the other. As he drew near, 
she sprang, landing on his back, and had gouged 
his eye and torn both ears before the other hound 
closed in. Even the two of them, however, had 
all they could manage, and a bit more. Lucy was 
alive at both ends, and contrived to fight with her 
powerful hind legs into the face of one dog, while 
she rode the other. Clutch after frantic clutch 
by the hounds were rewarded only with mouth- 
fuls of fur, and a tearing scratch in the face. 
The three of them rolled and fought and barked 
and screamed and snarled and spit down the 
rocks, till the heads and shoulders of two men ap-’ 
peared, coming from below, and a sudden shot 
rang out, and Lucy rose convulsively and fell 
limp between the dogs, which the men grabbed by 
the collars and pulled away. 
The owner of the dogs examined her, rolling 
her over with his foot. 
