The crouching beast, infuriated by receiving a sudden, painful wound,
launched straight out, and landed in the midst of the campers!
CHAPTER XIV
THE COWBOY GUIDE
Everybody was in motion at once.
Some went over backward, regardless of appearances; others rolled aside,
bent upon placing some little distance between themselves and the
invader. Bluff was trying to work the mechanism of his gun in order to
secure a second shot, but as so often happens when the hunter is
excited, he failed to accomplish what should have been an easy change.
The maddened panther had crouched again after landing close to the fire.
Perhaps what acted more than anything else to keep the beast from
leaping once more was the uncertainty of choosing among so many which he
should attack. If he only knew from whence had come that sting which had
given him such sudden agony there would have been no hesitation at all.
One, however, did not join in the almost universal retreat. This man was
Reddy. He had been leaning forward at the time, as stated, about to
pick up a brand with which to light his cigarette.
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