Once Lhoks met with an encounter which he never forgot. He happened upon a round ball of curious appearance which lay right in his path, and feeling in a playful mood, he boldly jumped at the thing, tossing it about. Then suddenly the bundle unrolled itself, an ugly blunt snout appeared, and two sullen angry eyes glared at him insolently. Before he could back away, a prickly tail slapped him smartly right across his soft, black muzzle, and it was filled with quills. After that, Lhoks, the panther, never forgot how Unk-Wunk, the porcupine, looked when he rolled himself into a ball and went to sleep upon the trail. It became harder to find food down in the lowlands, so Lhoks took to the mountain passes, and thus it happened, one memorable day, he chanced upon a strangely familiar, alluring scent. For a day he trailed it, drawing gradually nearer and nearer, and as he found the scent keener, Lhoks began to feel greatly excited, filled with courage and hope, for he had stumbled across an old trail of one of his own kindred. [Illustration: SUDDENLY THE BALL UNROLLED ITSELF, AND AN UGLY BLUNT SNOUT APPEARED.] With his wild senses all alert, Lhoks now continued to follow patiently the trail. It brought him at last out upon a plateau, or clearing. Closer and closer to the edge of the ledgy plateau crept Lhoks, now crawling low upon his stomach, exactly like a cat. Then, having gained the edge, hanging his great tawny head over the rock, he peered with curious, wistful eyes at the strangely beautiful sight spread just beneath him. Upon a jutting rock frolicked five panther cubs; little furry creatures they were, barred with dark tiger-like stripes, as are all young panthers. There in the sunshine they were playing innocently, while Lhoks watched them wistfully and anxiously, with half-shut, curious yellow eyes, his whole body shaking and trembling with nervous longing to be with them. Even the tip of his tail lashed the rock frantically, so interested had he become in the kitten cubs. They were quite alone, for the mother panther, having lost her mate, was even now away seeking food for them. At last, unable to withstand the cunning ways of the cubs an instant longer, Lhoks leaped lightly down among them, and so trusting were they that he became acquainted with them at once. When the mother panther returned, she found a stranger with her babies, playing with them, letting them roll over him and tease him roughly, mauling him about as they would, while Lhoks, the lonely one, lay stretched out contentedly purring for sheer happiness. Strangely enough the mother panther did not resent the appearance of Lhoks; perhaps she imagined he would be useful in helping her forage for food for her family. At any rate, she welcomed him with peaceful purrs, and so all was well. Thus did Lhoks, the panther, come back to his kindred once again in the heart of the great forest. CHAPTER III THE TRIALS OF PETER POSSUM