University Missourian. [volume] (Columbia, Mo.) 1908-1916, 1915-08-15

SUNDAY, AUGUST IL, 1915
up close against her. with his ready
Jaws turned toward the dead man.
Why was she so still, he wondered?
A long time passed, and then she
moved. Her eyes opened. Her hand
touched him.
Then he heard step outside.
1t was his master, and with that
old thrill of fear-fear of the club
he went swiftly to the door. Yes, there
was his master in the firelight-and
in his hand he held the club. He was
coming slowly, almost falling at each
step, and his face was red with blood
But he had the club, He would beat
him again-beat him terribly for
hurting McCready; so Kazan slipped
quietly under the tent-fiap and stole
off into the shadows. From out the
gloom of the thick spruce he looked
back, and a low whine of love and
grief rose and died softly in his throat.
They would beat him always now
after that. Even she would beat him.
They would hunt him down, and beat
him when they found him.
From out of the glow of the fire
he turned his wOlfish head to the
depths of the forest. There were no
clubs or stinging lashes out in that
gloom. They would never find him
there.
For another moment he wavered
And then, as silently as one of the
wild creatures whose blood was part
ly his, he stole away into the black
ness of the night.
CHAPTER Nv
Free From Bonds.
There was low moaning of the
wind in the spruce-tops as Kazan
skunk off into the blackness and mys-
terry of the forest. For hours he lay
near the camp, his red and blistered
eyes gazing steadily at the tent
wherein the terrible thing had hap
pened a little while before.
He knew now what death was. He
could tell it farther than man. He
could smell it in the air. And he
knew that there was death all about
him, and that he was the cause of it, |
He lay on his belly in the deep snow
and shivered, and the three-quarters |
of him that was dog whined in a grief |
stricken way, while the quarter that |
was wolf still revealed itself men
acingly in his fangs, and in the venge-
full glare of his eyes.
Three times the man-his master
came out of the tent, and shouted loud
ly, "Kazan-Kazan-Kazan!"
Three times the woman came with
him. In the freight Kazan could see
her shining hair streaming about her,
as he had seen it in the tent, when he
had leaped up and killed the other
man. In her blue eyes there was the
same wild terror. and her face was
white as the snow. And the second /
and third time, she too called, "Ka-
zan-Kazan-Kazan. all that
part of him that was dog, and not
wolf. trembled joyously at the sound
of her voice, and he almost crept in to
take his beating. But fear of the club
was the greater, and he held back,
hour after hour, until now it was 81
lent again in the tent, and he could
no longer see their shadows, and the
fire was dying down.
Cautiously he crept out from the
thick gloom, working his way on his
belly toward the packed sledge, and
what remained of the burned logs. Be-
yond that sledge, hidden in the dark
ness of the trees. was the body of the
man he had killed. covered with
blanket. Thorpe. his master. had
dragged it there.
He lay down, with his nose to the
warm Goals and his eyes leveled be-
tween his forepaws. straight at the
closed tent-fiap. He meant to keep
awake, to watch, to be ready to stink
off into the forest at the first move
ment there. But warmth was ris-
ing from out of the gray ash of the
fire-bed, and his eyes closed. Twice
three times-he fought himself back
into watchfulness; but the last time