of a carnivorous animal. I
followed it through a thicket, and came to an open stony place, with a
sharp drop of five or six feet to dense cover below. The odor came
from this cover, so I jumped down; when--_yeow, karrrr, pft-pft!_
Almost under my feet a gray thing leaped away snarling, followed by
another. I had the merest glimpse of them; but from the way they
bristled and spit and arched their backs, I knew that I had stumbled
upon a pair of the lynx kittens, for which I had searched so long in
vain.

They had, probably, been lying out on the warm stones, until, hearing
strange footsteps, they had glided away to cover. When I crashed down
near them they had been scared into showing their temper; else I had
never seen them in the underbrush. Fortunately for me, the fierce old
mother was away. Had she been there, I should undoubtedly have had
more serious business on hand than watching her kittens.

They had not seen more of me than my shoes and stockings; so when I
stole after them, to see what they were like, they were waiting under
a bush to see what I was like. They jumped away again, spitting,
without seeing me, alarmed by the rustle which I could not avoid
making in the cover. So I followed them, just a quiver of leaves here,
a snarl there, and then a rush away, until they doubled back towards
the rocky place, where, parting the underbrush cautiously, I saw a
dark hole among the rocks of a little opening. The roots of an
upturned tree arched over the hole, making a broad doorway. In this
doorway stood two half-grown lucivees, fuzzy and gray and
savage-looking, their backs still up, their wild eyes turned in my
direction apprehensively. Seeing me they drew farther back into the
den, and I saw nothing more of them save now and then their round
heads, or the fire in their yellow eyes.

It was too late for further observation that day. The fierce old
mother lynx would presently be back; they would let her know of the
intruder in some way; and they would all keep close in the den. I
found a place, some dozen yards above, where it would be possible to
watch them, marked the spot by a blasted stub, to which I made a
compass of broken twigs; and then went back to camp.

Next morning I omitted the early fishing, and was back at the place
before the sun looked over the ridge. Their den was all quiet, in deep
shadow. Mother Lynx was still away on the early hunting. I intended to
kill her when she came back. My rifle la