A BAD FRIGHT 239

drawn-out scream they are supposed to give. What many
people take to be the call of the cougar is that of the
lynx, which gives forth a series of blood-curdling moans,
the first one being quite loud and the others gradually
lessening in sound, at last dying away to faint moans.
The call gives you the impression that somebody is being
murdered or dying in frightful agony.

An amusing incident occurred one night while I was
sleeping near the “lick.” I got a terrible scare, over which
I have often laughed since. As I said before, the cougar
is a cowardly beast, but it is quite within the bounds of
possibility that if a very hungry one happened to come
across a man lying out in the open asleep, he might venture
to pounce on him. At any rate, my feelings at that time
about them were such that I should not have felt very
comfortable sleeping out there without a bit of a fire.
Well, once, shortly before daybreak, my fire had died
down to a few embers, and, becoming cold, I lay there
about half awake and half asleep, when suddenly there
came what to me sounded like a roar within a foot or
two of me. Hardly had the sound died away before I
was on my knees with rifle ready and peering through the
gloomy darkness in an effort to locate my enemy. I have
no doubt that if I had had my cap on, my hair, which
at that time was thick and strong, would have lifted it
up several inches, and my eyes must have protruded
to such an extent that they were on the verge of dropping
out. However, after a few seconds’ intense strain, the
sound came again—this time farther off—and it was
followed by a thud, thud, thud, which at once told me
what my supposed assailant was. It was nothing more
than a mule deer, probably some big old stag who had
been attracted by the few embers of the fire that were
still glowing, and had come closer and closer until he
was almost on top of me before he got my scent. Then
he had given one of those loud snorts that they often
do when alarmed. Well, if that deer got a bit of a fright
when he smelt me, he could not have been more startled
than I was. He certainly roused me up in a hurry.

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