Carolina watchman. [volume] (Salisbury, N.C.) 1871-1937, 1917-06-06
CHAPTER Xl-continued.

CHAPTER Xl-continued.
-11-
Gray Wolf was no longer in the
moonlight. Close to the two rocks lay
the limp lifeless little bodies Of the
three pups. The lynx had torn them
to pieces. With a whine of grief IA.
zan approached the two boulders and
thrust his head between them. Gray
Wolf was there, crying to herself in
that terrible sobbing way. He went
in, and began to lick her bleeding
shoulders and head. All the rest of
that night she whimpered with pain.
With dawn she dragged herself out to
the lifeless little bodies on the rock.
And then Kazan saw the terrible
work of the lynx. For Gray Wolf was
blind-not for a day or a night, but
blind for all time. A gloom that no
sun could break had become her
shroud. And perhaps again it was
that instinct of animal creation, which
often is more wonderful than mans
reason, that told Kazan what had hap
pCACu. VI liz hllCN loH lldI SllC vas
helpless-more helpless than the little
creatures that had gamboled in the
moonlight a few hours before. He re.
NAMED close beside her all that day.
Vainly that day did Joan call for
Kazan. Her voice rose to the Sun
Rock, and Gray VOLTS head Struggled
closer to Kazan, and Kazan's ears
dropped back, and he licked her
wounds. Late in the afternoon Kazan
left Gray Wolf long enough to run tc
the bottom of the trail and bring uI
the snow-shoe rabbit. Gray Wolf muz.
zled the fur and flesh, but would not
eat. Still a little later Kazan urged
her to follow him to the trail. He nc
longer wanted to stay at the top of the
Sun Rock, and he no longer wanted
Gray Walt to stay there. Step by STEP
he drew her down the winding path
away from her dead puppies. She
would move only when he was very
near her-so near that she could touch
his scared flank with her lose.
They anne at last to the point in the
trail where they had to leap down g
distance of three or four feet from the
edge of a rock, and here kaZan saw
how utterly helpless Gray Wolf had
become. She whined, and croucheC
the spring, and then she jumped stiff.
legged, and fell in a heap at Kazan's
feet. After this kazan did not have
to urge her so hard, for the fall i'm
pinged on her the fact that she was
safe only when her muzZle touched hel
mates flank. She followed him obedi
entity when they reached the plain
trotting with her foreshoulder to his
hip.
Kazan was heading for a thicket il
the creek bottom half a mile away
and q dozen times in that short dis
lance Gray Wolf stumbled and fell
And each time that she fell Kaza1
learned a little more of the limitations
of blindness. Once he sprang off il
pursuit of a rabbit, but he had no
taken twenty leaps when he stopped
and looked back. Gray Wolf had no
moved an inch.
All that day they remained in thu
thicket. In the afternoon he visiteC
the cabin, Joan and her husband were
there, and both saw at ono kazan'!
torn side and his lacerated head ant
shoulders.
"Pretty near a finish fight for him,
said the man, after he had examined
him. at was either a lynx or a bear
Another wolf could not do that"
For half an hour Joan worked owe
him, talking to him all the time, ant
fondling him with her soft hands. Sh,
bathed his wounds in warm water, ant
then covered them with a healing salve
and Kazan was filed again with tina
old restful desire to remain with he
always, and to go back into tn
forests. For an hour she let him Ii
on the edge of her dress, with his nos
touching her foot, while she worked O.
baby things. Then she rose to prepar
supper, and Kazan got up-a littl
Wearily-and went to the door. Ora
Wolf and the gloom of the night Wer
calling him, and he answered that ca
with a SLOUGH of his shoulders and
dropping head. It's old thrill was gon'
He watched his chance, and went OF
through the door. The moon had rise
when he rejoined Gray Wolf. ST
greeted his return with a low whine
joy, and muzzled him with her bin