Clearwater Republican. [volume] (Orofino, Idaho) 1912-1922, 1918-01-25
And then. at last, he turned and went
down into the plain.
CHAPTER v.
Leader oS the Pack.

CHAPTER v.
Leader of the Pack
All that night Kazan kept close to
the hunt-pack, but never quite ap-
preached it. This was fortunate for
him. He still bore the scent Of traces,
and Of man. The pack would have torn
him to pieces. The first instinct Of the
wild is that Of self-preservation. 1t
may have been this, whisper back
through the years of savage forebears,
that made Kazan roll In the snow now
snd then where the feet Of the pack
had trod the thickest.
That night the pack killed a caribou
on the edge Of the lake, and feasted
until nearly dawn. Kazan hung In the
face OF the wind. The smell of blood
and Of warm flesh tickled his nostrils,
and his sharp ears could catch the
cracking Of bones. But the instinct
was stronger than the temptation.
Not until broad day, when the pack
had scattered far and wide over the
plain, did he go boldly to the scene Of
the kill. He found nothing but an area
| Of blood-reddened snow, covered with
bones, entrails and torn bits Of tough
hide. But 1t was enough, and he rolled
In Il, and buried his nose In what was
left, and remained all that day close to
It, saturating himself with the scent
| Of it.
That night, when the moon and the
stars came out again, he sat back with
fear and hesitation NO longer In him,
and announced himself to his new com-
rades Of the great,plain.
The pack hunted again that night, or
else 1t was q new pack that started
miles to the south, and came mp With a
doe caribou to the big frozen lake. The
night was almost as clear AZ day, and
from the edge Of the forest Kaxan first
saw the caribou run out on the lake .
third Of a mile away. The pack was
about dozen strong, and had already
split into the fatal horseshoe forma-
ton, the two leaders running almost
abreast Of the kin. and slowly closing
In.
With sharp yelp Kasan darted ont
into the moonlight He was directly In
the path Of the fleeing doe. and bore
down upon her with lightning speed.
Two hundred yards away the doe saw
him, and swerved to the right. and the
leader ON that side met her with open
jaws. Kaxan was In with the second
leader, and leaped at the does soft
throat In q snarling mass the pack
closed in from behind, and the doe
went down, with Kasan half under her
body, his fangs sunk deep In her jugu-
| lar. She lay heavily on him, but he did
not lose his hold. It was his first big
KIN. His blood ran like nre. He
snarled between his clamped teeth.
| Not until the last culver had left
the body over him did he pull himself
| ont from under her chest and f0relegs.
He had killed q rabbit that day and
was not hungry. So he sat back in the
snow and waited, while the ravenous
pack tore at the dead doe. After lit.
tie he came nearer, n0sed In between
two OF them, and was nipped for his In
| trusiOn.
As Kazan drew back, still hesitating
to mix with his wild brothers, a big
gray form leaped out Of the pack and
drove straight for his throat. He had
just time to throw his shoulder to the
attack, and for a moment the two
rolled over and over In the SNOW. They
were up before the excitement of sud-
den battle had drawn the pack from
the feast. Slowly they circled about
each other, their white fangs bare,
their yellowish backs bristling like
brushes. The fatal ring Of wolves
drew about the fighters.
It was not new to Kaxan. A dozen
times he had sat In rings like this,
waiting for the final moment. More
than once he had fought for his life
within the circle. 1t was the sledge
dog way Of fighting. Unless man inter
rupted with club or q whip It always
ended In death. Only one fighter could
come out alive. Sometimes both died.
And there was no man here-0nly that
fatal Gordon of waiting white-fanged
uNAAAVA4cs hC0Oy " AC0R ORVAA eAeu s~es
TO pieces the first Of the fighters who
was thrown upon his side or hack. Ka.
san was stranger, but he did not fear
those that hemmed him In. The one
great law Of the pack woald compe.
them to be fair.
He kept his eyes only on the big gray
leader who had challenged him. Shout.
der to shoulder hey continued to
circle. Where . few moments before
there had been the snapping Of jaws
and the rsndins Of ffeeh there was now
silence. Soft-footed and soft-throated
mongrel dogs from the south would
have snarled and growled, but Kasan
and the wolf were still, their ears laid
forward instead Of back, tAs4r tails
| free and bushy.
Suddenly the wolf struck In with the
swiftness Of lightning. and his jaws
came together with the sharpness Of
! steel striking steel. They missed by
| an inch. In that same instant Kaxan