They followed the puma’s meandering trail all morning. There were times it was impossible to go where the dogs went, noses to the track leading them relentlessly on. Then Cam would scout out a path, one inevitably ending up back behind the hounds once more. Sometimes their baying grew faint, almost inaudible, and at others the sound was clear and seemed close. C.J.’s initial surge of excitement faded as the chase threatened to go on forever. Still she hoped the dogs would trap the cat either in a tree or on a ledge or cavern from which it could not escape.
She noticed Pancho referred to the puma as “she,” but that might have nothing to do with its gender at all. English pronouns seemed to confuse many Spanish speakers because, as she knew, gender was incorporated into the Spanish noun in
