University Missourian. [volume] (Columbia, Mo.) 1908-1916, 1915-08-18

torn to pieces by the wolves, and
saw them leaping upon you, when one
of them sprang to the sledge. At first
thought it was one of the dogs. But
it was a wolf. He tore once at US,
and the bearskin saved US. He was
almost at my throat when baby cried
and then he stood there. his red eyes
a foot from us, and l could have sworn
again that he was dog. In an in
slant he turned, and was fighting the
wolves. | saw him leap upon one that
was almost at your throat"
"He was a dog" said old Pierre,
holding out his hands to the warmth.
"They often wander away from the
posts, and join the wolves. l have
had dogs do that. Ma cheri, a dog is
a dog all his life Kicks, abuse, even
the wolves can not change him-for
long. He was one of the pack. He
came with them-to kill. But when
he found US"
"He fought for u.s." breathed the
girl. She gave him the bundle, and
stood up, straight and tall and slim
in the freight. HE fought for US
and he was terribly hurt" she said.
Il saw him drag himself away. Faith
er, If he is out there-dying-"
Pierre Radisson stood up. He
coughed in a shuddering way, trying
to stife the sound under his beard.
The fieck of crimson that came to his
lips with the cough Joan did not see.
She had seen nothing of it during the
six days they had been travelling up
from the edge of civilization. Because
of that cough, and the stain that came
with it, Pierre had made more than
ordinary haste.
4 have been thinking of that" he
said. He was badly hurt, and | do
not think he went far. Here-take
little Joan and sit close to the fire
until come back"
The moon and the stars were bril-
liant in the sky when he went out in
the plain. A short distance from the
edge of the timberline he stood for a
moment upon the spot where the
wolves had overtaken them an hour
before. Not one of his four dogs had
lived. The snow was red with their
blood, and their bodies lay stiff where
they had fallen under the pack.
Pierre shuddered as he looked at
them. If the wolves had not turned
their first mad attack upon the dogs,
what would have become of himself,
Joan and the baby? He turned away,
with another of those hollow coughs
that brought the blood to his lips.
A few yards to one side he found
in the snow the trail of the strange
dog that had come with the wolves,
and had turned against them in that
moment when all seemed lost. 1t was
not a clean running trail. 1t was
more of furrow in the snow, and
Pierre Radisson followed it. expect
ing to find the dog dead at the end of
1t.
In the sheltered spot to which he
had dragged himself in the edge of the
forest Kazan lay for long time after
the fight, alert and watchful. He felt
no very great pain. But he had lost
the power to stand upon his legs. His
flanks seemed paralyzed. Gray Wolf
crouched close at his side, shifting the
air. They could smell the camp, and
Kazan could detect the two things
that were there-man and woman. He
knew that the girl was there. where
he could see the glow of the freight
the spruce and the cedars.
He wanted to 60 to her. He wanted to
drag himself close in to the fire, and
take Gray Wolf with him, and listen
to her voice, and feel the touch of her
hand But the man was there, and
to him man had always meant the
club, the whip, pain, death.
Gray Wolf crouched close to his
side, and whined softly as she urged
Kazan to flee deeper with her into the
forest. At last she understood that
he could not move, and she ran ner-
out into the plain, and back
again, until her footprints were thick
in the trail she made The instincts
Of matehood were strong in her. 1t