At the bottom of his heart, however, the young puma, as he had shown in babyhood, was valiant and high-mettled. It was only the unknown, the uncomprehended, that held terrors for him. And he was not one to dwell upon his fears. In a few moments he had forgotten them all in the excitement of sniffing at an absolutely fresh rabbit-track. The warm scent reminded him of his last meal. He proceeded to follow up the trail with all stealth, little guessing that the rabbit, its eyes bulging with terror, was already hundreds of yards away and still fleeing. It had never dreamed that its familiar woodlands could harbour such an apparition of doom as this great, tawny, leaping monster with the eyes of pale flame.
It was not in Mishi's instinct to follow a trail long by the scent alone. Speedily growing discouraged, he hid himself beside the runway, hoping that another rabbit would come along. When he had lain there motionless for perhaps ten minutes, his tawny colour blending perfectly with his surroundings, a couple of brown wood mice emerged from their burrows and began to scurry playfully hither and thither among the fir-needles. Mishi never so much as twitched a whisker while he watched them from the corner of his narrowed eyes. At last they came within reach. Out flashed his swift paw, and crushed them both together. They made hardly a mouthful, but it was a tasty
