As the feeble flames rose and fell, so the reflected glare of the eyes increased and decreased. The pitiless, unwinking orbs1 displayed the savage2 intent of the beast.
For half a minute Dorothy was helpless, as was her chum. She had not partaken of Tavia’s panic before; she had really scouted3 the idea that savage animals roamed these woods. But she must believe now!
However, to faint—to give up hope of escape—to helplessly await the closer approach of the beast whose eyes they saw, did not once enter Dorothy Dale’s mind.
She threw off Tavia’s clutching hands quickly, reached for some fuel, and threw it on the flickering4 campfire. Almost at once the flames burst out and mounted higher. Their glare revealed193 the immediate5 surroundings of the rude encampment, but nothing of the strange marauder but the glittering eyes was visible to the girls.
Dorothy was quite sure that while the fire burned brightly no wild animal would throw itself upon them. Wolves, she knew, were cowardly alone; only in the pack were they courageous6 enough to attack man. As for its being a bear—those eyes never belonged to Bruin. He would not remain still so long.
The unwinking nature of their observation forced Dorothy to determine that the eyes belonged to a member of the cat tribe. A panther? No more terrible beast, she was sure, roamed the Colorado wilderness7.
Somewhere, when she was much younger, Dorothy had seen a picture in a book of African adventure, in which a huge lion was shown leaping over a line of fires around a hunter’s camp to get at the cattle. Ordinarily, she was sure, the cat tribe was much afraid of the flames, but suppose this individual that was watching her and Tavia was particularly hungry?
Would the miserable8 little blaze prevent the beast from leaping upon them? The same thought seemed to unlock the chains of Tavia’s speech, for she whispered:
“Throw on more wood, Dorothy. Make a big blaze.”
“But we haven’t so much wood,” objected Dorothy.
“Oh, do! Perhaps a big fire will drive it off.”
Dorothy recklessly heaped on more fuel. The flames leaped and crackled. But their light did not show the outlines of the enemy. It seemed to be crouching9 in the deep shadow at the edge of the forest. Nothing showed of the creature but those terrible eyes.
“Not I! I’d try to make a bullseye.”
“Can’t we try to scare it off in some way?”
“Let’s scream—both together!” cried Dorothy Dale. “Now!”
If fear-inspired shrieks12 ever issued from feminine throats, the abandoned yell of Tavia was a triumphant13 specimen14. Nor was Dorothy far behind in the piercing quality of her cry.
It is doubtful if any mountain lion in all the wild places of the West could have equalled the quality of the girls’ yells. And——
Dorothy was fully17 as much amazed as her chum. There was something uncanny about the twinkling, glistening18 spots. She had never heard of any creature with such unwinking eyes—save195 a serpent. And surely these eyes did not belong to any reptile19.
She threw more fuel on the fire. Again the flames leaped up. The heap of wood they had gathered was fast being diminished. Dorothy looked at her watch. Only half-past ten! The beast had been watching them—she was sure—for an hour.
Suppose it remained all night? They had not fuel enough to last until midnight at the reckless rate they were using it.
When it was all gone, and the fire died down—what then? The thought was really terrifying. If the blaze was what kept the beast at bay, once the fire was dead, the girls would be at the animal’s mercy.
Dorothy Dale did not lose her head and become hysterical20, like Tavia. She knew something must be done. Tavia was absolutely helpless. After they had so uselessly screamed, she just sat hiding her eyes, and trembling.
Dorothy knew that if anything was to be done to scare away the beast, it devolved upon her to do it. Now! should she try to gather more fuel, or should she rise up and attack the watchful21 brute22?
The latter was the more desperate expediency23, yet the wiser. A quick dash might drive the animal away.
196 Without a word to Tavia of her intention, Dorothy gathered her feet under her, reached for a blazing branch on the fire, and suddenly sprang erect24.
With a scream she leaped past the fire and, holding the flaming branch straight out before her, ran across the glade25 toward the staring eyes!
Had she stopped to contemplate26 the desperate venture, she never would have started. Almost as she determined27 on making the attack, she had sprung into action.
She was half way to the edge of the woods ere she realized that her charge did not seem to startle the enemy at all. The eyes did not even blink.
If ever in her life, Dorothy Dale showed desperate courage at this moment. She kept straight on—whirling the burning branch to make the sparks fly—and dashed up to the bulky object which had so terrified her and her chum.
It was a good sized boulder28 imbedded in the earth at the edge of the forest. Its face was split and scarred; two bits of mica29 in its front had caught and reflected the firelight, and so looked like a pair of staring eyes. This was the dreadful beast of prey30 that had held them in durance for an hour and a half!
The reaction of her discovery deprived Dorothy Dale’s limbs of their strength. She fell to the ground, and the flaming branch sputtered31 before her and flickered32 out. Tavia screamed again, but Dorothy was laughing weakly—almost hysterically33.
“Oh, Tavia Travers! What a perfect pair of dunces we are,” gasped Dorothy. “It’s nothing—nothing, I tell you! Just some bright specks34 in a rock. If the boys ever hear of this they will tease us to death about it.”
“Let them,” cried Tavia, with recovered bravado35. “I shall tell. You’re just the very bravest girl I ever saw, Dorothy Dale! You believed that was an awful, ravenous36 beast when you started for it with the torch. I consider that you have saved me from being devoured37 by the most savage creature that ever happened!”
“What shall we name it?” giggled38 Dorothy, climbing slowly to her feet and coming back with Tavia to the fire.
“Oh, a Bhronosaurus—or a Dynosaura—or—or something. Maybe a Pteryodactyl. Didn’t they all live in the Stone Age?”
“And you just from the scholastic39 halls of old Glenwood!” cried Dorothy. “I am astounded40, Tavia Travers.”
“You needn’t be,” said her chum, coolly. “There are a whole lot of things I had to learn that I hope I have already forgotten. I guess the history of a million years, or so, ago, is fading fast from my overburdened mind. And I’ll certainly feel better when it is all wiped out.”
The incident served to bring Tavia to a better condition of mind. She shook off her foolish fears, and even assisted Dorothy in gathering41 a larger supply of firewood.
“For although those eyes were those of a bogey,” said Dorothy, wisely, “there may be creatures who would trouble us before morning if we had no fire.”
“Who’s going to keep awake to feed the fire?” yawned Tavia.
“I’ll keep first watch,” agreed Dorothy.
“All right. Ow—yow! I can’t keep my eyes open and my mouth shut. If a whole herd42 of bears ringed us, I should just have to sleep! Call me when it’s time for my watch, Doro. Ow-yow!”
Dorothy fell asleep herself after a time, trusting to the chill of the night air to awaken44 her when the fire died down.
But what really woke her up was a shrill45 cry that echoed through the forest in a most weird46 way, and startled both girls into an upright position before their eyes were even open.
“More trouble!” she gasped.
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1
orbs
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| abbr.off-reservation boarding school 在校寄宿学校n.球，天体，圆形物( orb的名词复数 ) | |
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2
savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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3
scouted
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| 寻找，侦察( scout的过去式和过去分词 )； 物色（优秀运动员、演员、音乐家等） | |
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4
flickering
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| adj.闪烁的，摇曳的，一闪一闪的 | |
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immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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courageous
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| adj.勇敢的，有胆量的 | |
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wilderness
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| n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠 | |
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8
miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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9
crouching
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的现在分词 ) | |
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10
longing
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| n.（for）渴望 | |
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11
gasped
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| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
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12
shrieks
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| n.尖叫声( shriek的名词复数 )v.尖叫( shriek的第三人称单数 ) | |
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13
triumphant
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| adj.胜利的，成功的；狂欢的，喜悦的 | |
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14
specimen
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| n.样本，标本 | |
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15
winked
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| v.使眼色( wink的过去式和过去分词 )；递眼色（表示友好或高兴等）；（指光）闪烁；闪亮 | |
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16
horrified
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| a.(表现出)恐惧的 | |
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fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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18
glistening
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| adj.闪耀的，反光的v.湿物闪耀，闪亮( glisten的现在分词 ) | |
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19
reptile
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| n.爬行动物；两栖动物 | |
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20
hysterical
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| adj.情绪异常激动的，歇斯底里般的 | |
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watchful
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| adj.注意的，警惕的 | |
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brute
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| n.野兽，兽性 | |
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23
expediency
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| n.适宜；方便；合算；利己 | |
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24
erect
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| n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的 | |
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25
glade
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| n.林间空地，一片表面有草的沼泽低地 | |
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contemplate
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| vt.盘算，计议；周密考虑；注视，凝视 | |
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27
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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boulder
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| n.巨砾；卵石，圆石 | |
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29
mica
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| n.云母 | |
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30
prey
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| n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨 | |
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31
sputtered
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| v.唾沫飞溅( sputter的过去式和过去分词 )；发劈啪声；喷出；飞溅出 | |
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32
flickered
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| （通常指灯光）闪烁，摇曳( flicker的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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33
hysterically
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| ad. 歇斯底里地 | |
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34
specks
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| n.眼镜；斑点，微粒，污点( speck的名词复数 ) | |
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35
bravado
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| n.虚张声势，故作勇敢，逞能 | |
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36
ravenous
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| adj.极饿的，贪婪的 | |
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37
devoured
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| 吞没( devour的过去式和过去分词 )； 耗尽； 津津有味地看； 狼吞虎咽地吃光 | |
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38
giggled
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| v.咯咯地笑( giggle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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39
scholastic
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| adj.学校的，学院的，学术上的 | |
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40
astounded
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| v.使震惊(astound的过去式和过去分词)；愕然；愕；惊讶 | |
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41
gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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42
herd
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| n.兽群，牧群；vt.使集中，把…赶在一起 | |
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43
slumbered
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| 微睡，睡眠（slumber的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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44
awaken
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| vi.醒，觉醒；vt.唤醒，使觉醒，唤起，激起 | |
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45
shrill
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| adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫 | |
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46
weird
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| adj.古怪的，离奇的；怪诞的，神秘而可怕的 | |
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47
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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