He reared and stamped,
the startled colt turned away, and the cougar, afraid that he was about to
lose his chance, sprang.
A yellow compact mass, bristling with sharp, white teeth and long, hooked
claws shot through the air, but the distance was too great. The colt had
turned just in time, and the cougar fell short. He gathered himself
instantly for another spring, but quick as he was, he was not quick
enough.
The boys heard a fierce neigh, and the great stallion, wild with rage,
launched himself upon the cougar. Agile and powerful though the great cat
was, the sharp hoofs trampled him down. Taken at a disadvantage, just at
the moment when his first spring had spent itself, he was no match for the
protector of the herd. No bone could resist the impact of those heavy
terrible hoofs. No skull was thick enough to save. The cougar squealed,
clawed, and bit wildly, but in an incredibly quick space he was trampled
to death and lay quite still. The boys believed that every bone in him
must have been broken.
The herd had run some distance away in fright at the cougar's leap, but
while the swift combat lasted it stood looking on. Now the stallion, after
a last look at the slain robber, turned and walked away in triumph to the
herd that he had protected so well.
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