This was a rare find and a noble chance to conserve their stock
of deer, so the hunters went around the tree seeking for a fair
shot. But every point of view had some serious obstacle. It
seemed as though the branches had been told off to guard the
panther's vitals, for a big one always stood in the bullet's way.
After vainly going around, Quonab said to Rolf: "Hit him with
something, so he'll move."
Rolf always was a good shot with stones, but he found none to
throw. Near where they stood, however, was an unfreezing spring,
and the soggy snow on it was easily packed into a hard, heavy
snowball. Rolf threw it straight, swift, and by good luck it hit
the panther square on the nose and startled him so that he sprang
right out of the tree and flopped into the snow.
Skookum was on him at once, but got a slap on the ear that
changed his music, and the panther bounded away out of sight with
the valiant Skookum ten feet behind, whooping and yelling like
mad.
It was annoyance rather than fear that made that panther take to
a low tree while Skookum boxed the compass, and made a beaten dog
path all around him.
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