About four o'clock
Jones signified his intention of chaining several of the hounds for the next few nights at the head of this trail ; so if the cougar came up , they would scent him and let us know . From which it was evident that to chase a lion bound into the canyon and one bound out were two different things . The day passed lazily , with all of us resting on the warm , fragrant pine-needle beds , or mending a rent in a coat , or working on some camp task impossible of commission on exciting days . About four o'clock , I took my little rifle and walked off through the woods in the direction of the carcass where I had seen the gray wolf . Thinking it best to make a wide detour , so as to face the wind , I circled till I felt the breeze was favorable to my enterprise , and then cautiously approached the hollow were the dead horse lay . Indian fashion , I slipped from tree to tree , a mode of forest travel not without its fascination and effectiveness , till I reached the height of a knoll beyond which I made sure was my objective point . On peeping out from behind the last pine , I found I had calculated pretty well , for there was the hollow , the big windfall , with its round , starfish-shaped roots exposed to the bright sun , and near that , the carcass .