won't be hungry when it wakes."

It was a female. The fur on her thighs was glistening white. Many small
spots like velvet formed beautiful bracelets round her paws; her sinuous
tail was also white, ending in black rings. The back of her dress was
yellow, like unburnished gold, very lissome, [Footnote: Lissome: supple,
nimble.] and soft, and had the characteristic blotches in the shape of
pretty rosettes, which distinguish the panther from every other species
felis. [Footnote: Species felis. Latin "felis," a cat.]

This formidable hostess lay tranquilly snoring in an attitude as
graceful and easy as that of a cat on the cushion of an ottoman. Her
bloody paws, nervous and well armed, were stretched out before her head,
which rested on the back of them, while from her muzzle radiated her
straight, slender whiskers, like threads of silver.

If he had seen her lying thus, imprisoned in a cage, the Provencal would
doubtless have admired the grace of the creature and the vivid contrasts
of color which gave her robe an imperial splendour; but just then his
sight was jaundiced [Footnote: Jaundiced. Explain this term.] by
sinister forebodings.

The presence of the panther, even asleep, had the same effect upon him
as the magnetic eyes of a snake are said to have on the nightingale.

The soldier's courage oozed away in the presence of this silent danger,
though he was a man who gathered courage at the mouth of a cannon
belching forth shot and shell. And yet a bold thought brought daylight
to his soul and sealed up the source from whence issued the cold sweat
which gathered on his brow. Like men driven to bay, who defy death and