He saw the flash of two fiery eyes in the dim light and again heard the sough of the creature's breath before he clapped the door shut and braced the gun against it.

But he had no confidence in the flimsy birch bark; so he got out his jackknife and bade Billy get out his.

It did not occur to them that the panther had scented the freshly killed game and had followed the trail of it.
The boys passed dreadful hours of suspense during that long, cold December night.

More than once they heard the creature "sharpen its claws" on tree trunks, and the sound was by no means cheerful.

The brute seemed bent on remaining near the little camp.