ay that. The man of
the forest took a long stride then another.

"An' here's where that lion lit on the back of the deer. It was a big
jump. See the sharp hoof tracks of the deer." Dale pressed aside tall
grass to show dark, rough, fresh tracks of a deer, evidently made by
violent action.

"Come on," called Dale, walking swiftly. "You're sure goin' to see
somethin' now.... Here's where the deer bounded, carryin' the lion."

"What!" exclaimed Bo, incredulously.

"The deer was runnin' here with the lion on his back. I'll prove it to
you. Come on, now. Pedro, you stay with me. Girls, it's a fresh trail."
Dale walked along, leading his horse, and occasionally he pointed down
into the grass. "There! See that! That's hair."

Helen did see some tufts of grayish hair scattered on the ground, and
she believed she saw little, dark separations in the grass, where an
animal had recently passed. All at once Dale halted. When Helen reached
him Bo was already there and they were gazing down at a wide, flattened
space in the grass. Even Helen's inexperienced eyes could make out
evidences of a struggle. Tufts of gray-white hair lay upon the crushed
grass. Helen did not need to see any more, but Dale silently pointed to
a patch of blood. Then he spoke:

"The lion brought the deer down here an' killed him. Probably broke his
neck. That deer ran a hundred yards with the lion. See, here's the trail
left where the lion dragged the deer off."

A well-defined path showed across the swale.

"Girls, you'll see that deer pretty quick," declared Dale, starting
forward. "This work has just been done. Only a few minutes ago."

"How can you tell?" queried Bo.

"Look! See that grass. It has been bent down by the deer bein' dragged
over it. Now it's springin' up."

Dale's next stop was on the other side of the swale, under a spruce with
low, spreading branches. The look of Pedro quickened Helen's pulse.
He was wild to give chase. Fearfully Helen looked where Dale pointed,
expecting to see the lion. But she saw instead a deer lying prostrate
with tongue out and sightless eyes and bloody hair.

"Girls, that lion heard us an' left. He's not far," said Dale, as he
stooped to lift the head of the deer. "Warm! Neck broken. See the lion's
teeth an' claw marks.... It's a doe. Look here. Don't be squeamish,
girls. This is only an hourly incident of everyday life in the forest.
See where the lion has rolled the skin down as neat as I could do it,