with a club, and Frank sprang to my
assistance. Beating had no apparent effect. We broke a dozen sticks,
and then Frank grappled with Moze and I with Sounder. Don kept on
fighting either one till Jones secured him. Then we all took a rest,
panting and weary.

"What's it mean?" I ejaculated, appealing to Jones.

"Jealous, that's all. Jealous over the lion."

We all remained seated, men and hounds, a sweaty, dirty, bloody, ragged
group. I discovered I was sorry for Kitty. I forgot all the carcasses
of deer and horses, the brutality of this species of cat; and even
forgot the grim, snarling yellow devil that had leaped at me. Kitty was
beautiful and helpless. How brave she was, too! No sign of fear shone
in her wonderful eyes, only hate, defiance, watchfulness.

On the ride back to camp Jones expressed himself thus: "How happy I am
that I can keep this lion and the others we are going to capture, for
my own. When I was in the Yellowstone Park I did not get to keep one of
the many I captured. The military officials took them from me."

When we reached camp Lawson was absent, but fortunately Old Baldy
browsed near at hand, and was easily caught. Frank said he would rather
take Old Baldy for the cougar than any other horse we had. Leaving me
in camp, he and Jones rode off to fetch Kitty.

About five o'clock they came trotting up through the forest with Jim,
who had fallen in with them on the way. Old Baldy had remained true to
his fame--nothing, not even a cougar bothered him. Kitty, evidently no
worse for her experience, was chained to a pine tree about fifty feet
from the campfire.

Wallace came riding wearily in, and when he saw the captive, he greeted
us with an exultant yell. He got there just in time to see the first
special features of Kitty's captivity. The hounds surrounded her, and
could not be called off. We had to beat them. Whereupon the six jealous
canines fell to fighting among themselves, and fought so savagely as to
be deaf to our cries and insensible to blows. They had to be torn apart
and chained.

About six o'clock Lawson loped in with the horses. Of course he did not
know we had a cougar, and no one seemed interested enough to inform
him. Perhaps only Frank and I thought of it; but I saw a merry snap in
Frank's eyes, and kept silent. Kitty had hidden behind the pine tree.
Lawson, astride Jones' pack horse, a crochety animal, reined in just
abreast of the tree, and leisurely threw his leg over th