RED SLAYER AND THE TERROR 241 
raised neck, and shoulders, emerged from a hole 
a dozen feet from the one where he had entered, 
and the sloe-black, intelligent eyes met the man’s 
in a bold, inquisitive stare. The man made an- 
other dash forward—and Red Slayer was gone. 
He did not see him again. 
I tell this incident not because it had any effect 
whatever on Red Slayer, but because it shows, in 
large measure, why it had no effect upon him, 
why he was so confident of himself, so devoid of 
fear, so ready to tackle a bird or animal twice, 
three, even four times his size or weight. He 
had more than the quickness of a cat, coupled 
with better than the nose of a dog. Short as his 
legs were in proportion to his body, he had a leap- 
ing agility and a bodily litheness which enabled 
him either to attack or to escape at a tremendous 
advantage over his foes. When an animal can 
leap eight times its own length, and keep it up as 
a regular gait till it gets to safety, it is not in 
imminent danger of captivity, provided it has a 
nose, or eyes, or ears, sharpened to give it warn- 
ing of danger. And when it can thus leap, itself 
almost invisible as it comes over the snow, aiming 
