CHAPTER XXIII.
OLAF'S GREAT LESSON.
"Another thing that urged me to take the cubs," continued Olaf, "wasthe fact that I was certain that if I kept them captive in my hut themother would sooner or later put in an appearance seeking them, andthen I could kill her with ease. So, as the two cubs rolled aboutkitten-like, I wriggled through the brush toward them, and then with asudden leap I pounced on them and seized them both by the scruff ofthe neck. They spat and growled vindictively, but I had hold of themin such a way that they could not hurt me. It didn't take me long totie them together with a bit of twine, and then shouldering my rifleand carrying the mewing, spitting cubs, I set out for home.
"The trail was a rough one to follow and I had a lot of difficulty. Ihad not gone more than a hundred yards before, quite close behind me,I heard a horrible yell. In an instant I dropped the cubs and jerkedmy rifle up to my shoulder. I knew what that yell meant. It was themother lion after the man who had robbed her of her cubs.
"I dropped to my knee to steady my aim, and as her tawny, lithe bodycame into view, I fired. It was a shot that I wouldn't have missedonce in a hundred times under ordinary circumstances. But this was thehundredth time.
"As my weapon was discharged, the lioness emitted a great roar, gave awhisk of her tail and dashed off into the forest. I knew that I hadnot harmed her. It was then that I began to think that the creaturebore a charmed life. It certainly appeared so.
"I was the crack shot of that part of the country and yet I had gonewide of a target that a ten-year-old boy could not well have missed.But as I picked up the cubs and resumed my journey, I thought tomyself, with grim satisfaction, that it would not be long before I hadanother chance at the beast, and that next time I promised myself thatmy bullet would find its mark.
"Well, it wasn't long before what I expected and hoped for came true.I was out in the back of my shack splitting wood two days later, whenthrough the light green of the trees that grew close up, I thought Isaw the flash of a swiftly-moving, tawny body.
"I chuckled to myself. 'So you have come at last, eh? That is good.Now you and I will try conclusions together.'
"Such was the thought that ran through my mind as I made all hasteinto the hut for my rifle. As the light-colored mass moved again amongthe trees, I leveled my weapon and fired. But again I missed!
"There was a swift dash, more like the passage of a streak of lightthan the moving of a living thing, and then I knew that the puma hadfooled me once more. But I also knew that she would come back. Themother-love that lives in all animals would bring her. I was to paydearly for playing upon this noble instinct. I have never tamperedwith it since. A creature with young is sacred to me. But I had notlearned my lesson then, and I planned to use the puma's motherlyinstinct to trap her to her destruction.
"That evening she was back. I heard her crying her soft, mother cryamong the trees. From inside the cabin, in a sort of rough cage I hadcontrived for them, the cubs answered her with little sharp barkingcries.
"But strong as were the ties that bound her to the cubs, the mothermountain lion came no closer. She was not visible to me. I crouched,rifle in hand, waiting for one chance at her; but it didn't come. Shekept far up the mountain side, from time to time giving her cry. Itwas like the cry of that wild-cat we heard to-night. It was a soundthat I have come to dread. Sometimes in dreams I hear it and then Iwaken and cry out. Lafe can tell you.
"I brought the cub's cage outside the hut. I thought that maybe thatwould bring her within range of my rifle. But the animal seemed toknow I was laying a pitfall for her, for she did not approach anycloser; but all that night her cries shook the forest.
"I shouted at her. My desire for revenge had got the upper handcompletely of me now. When the puma shrieked and howled, I shriekedand howled, too.
"'I shall kill you yet,' I promised her, 'your hour is close at hand.Olaf will have his revenge for his horse. You will see.'
"Toward morning the cries came closer.
"'Now is my time,' I thought.
"I took my rifle and sallied out of the hut. It was bright moonlight.Once more the cries came from a clump of woods up to my left. I swunground. My heart gave a bound of delight. Out of the deep shadow of thewoods I saw two burning points of light gleaming. I knew what theywere. The puma's eyes!
"All I had to do was to fire between them. For me, that ought to havebeen an easy task. But quick as I was in raising my rifle, the pumawas quicker of movement than I. In a flash the points of light hadvanished, and when next I heard her cries they came from some distanceoff.
"Utterly disgusted, baffled and angry, I went back to my bunk. I laylong awake revolving all sorts of schemes to catch the puma napping,and I was still planning when I fell asleep. That night my dreams wereall of the working out of my revenge. I guess I wasn't far from goingcrazy. Dwelling all the time on one thought and living alone, hadworked powerfully on my mind. I felt that if I didn't kill thatmountain lion she'd kill me, and how near she came to doing it, I'mgoing to tell you in a minute.
"For one mortal week I tried every way I could think of to get a shotat that lion. But it was all of no use. If the animal could have readmy mind, she couldn't have kept out of the way more cleverly than shedid.
"But all the time she was near at hand. The cubs, whom I fed regularlywith venison and small game, used to answer her night and day. I lostsleep and flesh, but still I was no closer to attaining my object.
"I tried dozens of ways of getting my chance to shoot the animal down.Failing in all of them, I set poisoned bait around the house. But itwas never touched. With the same uncanny instinct that had taught herhow to keep out of my reach, the puma avoided the poisoned meat. Steeltraps were a joke to her, I guess, for conceal them cleverly as Imight, she never went near them.
"And all the time I grew madder and madder. I had hunted and trappedfor a good many years and this was the first animal that had everescaped me once I set out to get it. I began to get nervous. When Iwas out hunting, for I had to go pretty frequently to get food for theyoung pumas, the slightest unexpected sound would make me jump out ofmy skin.
"'Olaf, you've got to end this thing,' I told myself.
"And then later on I said to myself again:
"'Olaf, you must end the puma or the puma will end you, my friend.'And so the days went by. A dozen times a day and as many at night Iwould think I was at last to put an end to the almost unbearablesituation, and every time that puma fooled me. But all the time shewas about the hut. Always within earshot of the cubs.
"One day, for security, I shut them in an inner room. I was afraidthat during one of my absences the mother mountain lion might break inand effect a rescue. It was about two days after I had made thisarrangement, that the thing happened that has ever since made me palewhen I hear the shrill cry of a mountain lion or any sound resemblingit.
"It was in the early morning. I was sitting outside my shack cleaningmy rifle. I was happy and whistling quite gaily. Suddenly I lookedround for some rags to finish up my job. There were none there andleaning my rifle against a stump, I went into the hut to get some.
"I had just about got inside when I heard a roar, and then a greatbody came hurtling past me into the hut. The puma had been watchingme. By this time, so often had I fired at her, she knew that mystrength lay in my rifle. The instant that she saw me lay it down, sheknew her chance had come. Like a flash she was into the hut after hercubs.
"And there was I, weaponless, powerless, and face to face with amother puma mad to regain possession of her little ones.
"I had one second in which to think and act simultaneously. My bunkwas built high up, luckily, and with one bound, so active did myterror make me, I was in it and secure for an instant. The pumacrouched, lashed her tail and with bared claws glared at me withterrible hatred in her green eyes.
"I could feel the cold sweat break out upon me. I could almost sensethe last struggle when she should have sprung upon me in the bunk. Butat that instant the
cubs beyond the door set up their cries anew. Thatsaved me for the time being. With a mighty bound the puma flungherself against the door. Again and again she flung herself at it likea battering ram.
"But it was a stout door and it resisted all her attacks till at last,panting and breathless, she lay down on the floor of the hut to rest.I dared not move for fear of attracting her attention. I was in ahorrible trap. Noon came and passed and still she lay there. I wasalmost mad with thirst, but stronger than my thirst was my fear ofthat great cat crouching there with her eyes fixed on the door beyondwhich lay her cubs.
"The door fastened with a steel catch. If only I could reach thatcatch, release it and open the door there was a possibility that myordeal would be at an end. Having regained her cubs, there was achance, a mighty slim one, but still a chance, that the lioness wouldtake them and go.
"The time dragged along on leaden feet. The sun grew lower. A ray ofthe declining day struck in through the one window the hut boasted andstruck the steel catch that confined the cubs.
"How long it was after this that my nerve went all to bits, I don'tknow. But go it did. I gave a loud yell and then, careless of whatmight happen, but determined to end the tension at all hazards, Ireached out with one foot and kicked up the steel catch.
"I was quick but not quick enough. As the door swung open, the lionessleaped for my leg, but the next instant she saw in the room beyondher two cubs. In her joy at beholding them again everything else wasforgotten by her. With her sharp, strong claws she tore the box thatconfined them to bits, and then, after licking them all over, shepicked them up as a cat does her kittens and--strode out of the door.
"I never saw her again; but I shall always remember her by this."
The woodsman drew up one leg of his loose trousers and showed a long,livid scar.
"That bane why I skoll never hear the cry of the puma or a cry thatbane lake him without feeling the big fear," he concluded.
Olaf's story had taken some time in its narration, but it had heldthem spell bound. They all agreed that he had passed through an ordealwell calculated to make him dread the creatures, one of which had heldhim a prisoner for so many terrible hours.
They turned in late and when they awakened, Olaf and Lafe had takentheir leave without disturbing them. They had left a scribbled note ofthanks, however, with their best wishes for good luck.
"I shall never forget Olaf Gundersen," declared Tom, a sentiment whichthe rest echoed.
The Bungalow Boys Along the Yukon Page 23
