there is no reason to discredit the truth of the accounts given by hunters in the west of wild beasts of prodigious activity, strength and ferocity, and that, belonging to no distinct class of animals, are a mixture of the fiercest. trappers and explorers in the wild regions of the rocky mountains, sometimes meet a beast to which they have given the expressive name of "indian devil," whose power and daring are such that a party of veteran hunters have been known to withdraw from a section frequented by him, simply to avoid a fight. while the stories about them may be exaggerated at times, there is no doubt that such animals exist, and there is good reason to hold them in dread.

the beast that fred linden and terry clark saw in the path before them resembled a panther more than any animal they could call to mind. it might have been described as a cross between a tiger and panther, had that been possible. fred had heard his father speak of those creatures that were detested and feared, and he was sure that they were going to have trouble with this one. how fortunate that each boy held a loaded gun in his grasp!

the action of the hybrid was as peculiar as his appearance. he seemed to have been trotting quietly along the trail with his nose down, as though following the scent, when he became aware that his game had stopped, and were surveying him with some interest. the beast also came to an abrupt halt and threw up his head, as though he was equally curious to learn something about the party of the first part.

standing thus, with his nose quite high in the air, it struck both boys that he showed a resemblance to a wolf as well as a panther. he was larger than either, and there could be no doubt that he was amazingly muscular, active and courageous.