Show STUDENT LIFE to climb back up the mountain on the trail they had descended All agreed to this except T S Garlow the flagman of the party an athletic youth of sixteen summers He thought it possible to scale the wall thus shortening the distance to camp by several miles So separating from the party he made his way along the shore to the foot of the granite wall and having climbed part way up the side found a narrow shelf running across the face of the wall Along this he made his way until nearly half way across the wall when the shelf came Seeing that abruptly to an end he could go no farther the boy turned to follow the path back when he discovered that he was After the first being followed shock of surprise and fright had passed the mystery was soon solved He had been followed along the narrow shelf by a mountain lion and as he turned to retrace his footsteps he found the way blocked by an enemy that made his knees bump together and his hair stand on end As he advanced toward the lion it came slowly forward in a crouching position ready to spring upon him whenever he should come within reach Garlow retreated a few paces and the lion stopped laid his head on his paws and quietly watched his prey Again the lad advanced and again the lion prepared to spring upon him With a courage born of despair the lad drew a small jackknife from his pocket and determined to fight to the death if the worst should come In vain he called for help and as vainly tried to drive his enemy back 45 along the narrow trail Each attempt served only to make the lion more aggressive Night came on and still the beast lay quietly watching the movements of the boy Far across the lake the lad could see the light in the window of a lonely farm-hous- e But miles of lake and forest lay between him and any human being At camp an anxious watch was kept for the truant lad All night a bonfire burned and the air was pierced with resounding yells in hope that if the boy had lost his way he might be led by the sounds to a safe harbor Early the next two searching parties morning started out one on the trail up the mountain the other across the lake in a boat to where they had left the lad on the preceding night As the boat neared the shore the men could see the dim outline of a human form near the center of the wall and could hear the lad’s answers to their calls But the quick eye of Sam Smith the guide — called “Old Faithful” for his unerring marksmanship — saw the crouching figure of the lion now creeping slowly toward his prey Bidding the oarsmen pull toward the shore Sam carefully examined his gun He saw the lion rise on its haunches to spring The boat came to a standstill and Old Faithful raised his Winchester The crack of the rifle broke on the still morning air The lion gave one long howl of pain and keeled headlong into the water Garlow climbed down the cliff and as they pulled him into the boat he exclaimed : “I knew I was saved when that gun went up” |