THE MOUNTAIN LION 165 
but presently he scented something alarming and 
vanished into the thick pine woods. 
One evening I sat watching a number of deer 
feeding on a terrace of a steep mountain side. 
Suddenly a lion leaped out, landing on the neck 
of one. Evidently the deer was off balance 
and on a steep slope. The impact of the lion 
knocked him over, but like a flash he was upon 
his feet again. Top-heavy with the lion, he 
slid several yards down a steep place and fell 
over a precipice. The lion was carried with 
him. I found both dead on the rocks below. 
The lion is a master of woodcraft. He 
understands the varying sounds and silences 
of the forest. He either hides and lies in wait 
or slips unsuspected upon his victim. He slips 
upon game even more stealthily than man; 
and in choosing the spot to wait for a vic- 
tim he usually chooses wisely and, alert waits, 
if necessary, for a prolonged time. He leaps 
upon the shoulders and neck of horse, deer, 
or sheep, and then grabs the victim’s throat in 
his teeth. Generally the victim quickly suc- 
cumbs. If a lion or lioness misses in leaping, 
it commonly turns away to seek another victim. 
Rarely does it pursue or put up a fight. 
A friend wished a small blue mule on me. 
It had been the man’s vacation pack animal. 
The mule loitered round, feeding on the abun- 
