nearly noon
On coming up with the hounds , we found the animal was a large catamount . A single shot brought him from his perch in a scraggy oak , and the first chase of the day was over . The pelt was worthless and was not taken . It was nearly noon when the kill was made , and Don Pierre insisted that we return to the ranch . Uncle Lance protested against wasting the remainder of the day , but the courteous Creole urged that the ground would be in fine condition for hunting at least a week longer ; this hunt he declared was merely preliminary -- to break the pack together and give them a taste of the chase before attacking the cougar . `` Ah , '' said Don Pierre , with a deprecating shrug of the shoulders , `` you have nothing to hurry you home . I come by your rancho an ' stay one hol ' week .