But Jim had a wild experience one night that taught us that the animal world has its individualists who make exceptions of themselves too. He had been fishing in the stream above Benson Lake. There were beautiful rainbow trout there and now and then a Dolly Vardon, and Jim had forgotten time completely in the way of all fishermen so that when he realized that it was becoming suddenly dark he quickly disconnected the tackle and folded the rod into his pocket. He had seven rainbow trout and_ three Dolly Vardon and he had_ worked all afternoon for them and, of course, risked his life a good many time on the edge of rocks overhanging waterfalls and they were beautiful fish none weighing less than a pound and some as high as three, so he said, for we never saw them. The pines grew closely vw0- gether near the stream and there was en abundance of high grass and many fallen trees and Jim wanted to get back into the clearing before it was pitch dark. The sky was over-clouded that day so that he knew it was going to be black. ever, he forced himself to bea within a fast walk because he knew that the minute he ran he would lose all self control and probably lose his way.
Well, he was probably within 40 rods of camp when suddenly the last bloodcurdling cry came. And it was directly ahead of him. Uaconsciously he raised his eyes and there staring down at him were a pair of greenish red eyes—that was the way Jim described them. It was the last straw to his overwrought nerves. He screamed and broke into a run and came into camp stumbling, weak and trembling. And we never found the fish but we did find huge catlike tracks plain in the dust of the narrow trail by the stream next morning.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.