Sunset Ranch: A Story of a Boy's Adventures in the West — page 200: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

188 The Gray-Coated Pirate. catch a first glimpse of the terrible beast crouching somewhere in their path. No more did that cry guide them. The panther had found his prey, and was busily engaged in endeavoring to gain possession. “Steady now!” It was Karl who spoke, and his voice did not show the least sign of nervous strain; he had been reared - among such scenes, and familiarity is apt to breed more or less contempt. | Evidently they were close upon the spot where the game had been hung up. Cuthbert’s strained hearing now caught a sound that was quite different from anything he had here- tofore heard—a peculiar whining, purring noise, not unlike that which a house cat gives forth when sat- ished with the world. “He’s got one carcass on the ground, ”* said Karl, judging from the sounds. So his comrade knew where to look in order to catch the first glimpse of the beast. That the panther was chewing at the game, even Cuthbert was able to understand, and there was lit- tle danger of his leaving his feast because of their approach; rather might he be expected to vent his iil humor at being thus disturbed by an attack. Closer still. | The sounds were just beyond. “Steady, boy!’ muttered Karl. A few more steps. “T see him,” whispered Cuthbert. “That ain’t enough—too risky a shot. We must go closer,” said the undaunted Karl, and the ‘Vir- ginian knew he was right. Much depended on the first shot; even the bravest of prairie men would rather be excused from encountering a wounded mountain lion. - It must be said, to Cuthbert’s credit, that he man- cConnicloookks.€c©