New Mexico state record. (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1914-19??, 1921-05-13
CHAPTER IIi-continued.

Iillru timber lllli m!gll nave TORN Tue
web of his snow shoes 10 ShredS. Be
cause he shut out all thought of ii, he
had no feeling of fatigue, The fight
with CrunSton had been II ~frightful
strain on muscle and nerve; hut he
scarcely remembered ii now. His
whole purpose was to return TO Snow
bird before the wolves lost the last of
their coWardice.
The ierked veni~On that he had
munrhed had brought him back much
81 his strength. lie was wholly uncon-
sciouS of his heavy pack. Never did
he glide 50 swiftly, so softly, with
such unerring step and II was moth
ing more or less than II perfect express
sion of the irOn-clad control that his
steel nerves had over his muscles.
Then, through the silence, he heard
ih" shout of the PACK rs the wolf had
lraped AT Snowbird. lie knew what it
meant. The wolves were attacking
then, and n great flood Of black, hating
bitterness poured over him NJ the
thought hc had been too late. 1t had
All been in vain, and before the thought
could fully 20 home, he heard the dim,
fdr-olf crack of a pistol,
Was thar the first of the three shots,
the one She might cXpcnd on the
wolves, or had the first two already
been spent and was she taking the Inst
gateway of escape? Perhaps even now
l"nuON was lying still on the sled, and
she a standing before the ruin of
her fire. praying that her soul might
have wings. He shouted with all the
power of his lungs acroS the noW
Bur %Sn0Wbird only heard the soft
glide ~ the wolves in the snow. The
wind was blowing toward Dan; and
while he had heard the loud chorus of
The pack, one of the most far-carrying
cries, ana the penetrating crack of a
pistol. she couldn't hear his answering
shout. In fact, the wilderness seemed
prrtcrnaturally still. All was breath
less, heavy with suspense, and she
stood, just as Dan had thought, he
tween the ruin of her fire and the sled,
and She looked with straight eyes 10
The nnoumlng wolves,
Hurry, S%nowbird," LennoX was
whispering. "Give me the piStol-for
that last work. We have only n mo-
ment more"
lie looked very calm and brave, half
raised as he was on the sled, and per
hnps "A half-smile fingered NJ his beard
ed Hips, And the brnyest thing Of all
xuas ,bat ., emma Iar ha wua Wi1lipU
10 take the little weapon from her
hand 10 use II In its last service. She
tried 10 smile ut him, then crcpt over
10 his side.
The strain was over. They knew
whit they had to face. She put the
pistol In his steady hand.
His hand lowered 10 his Side and he
SAT waiting. The moments passed. The
wolves seemed TO be waiting. too, for
the last ilickering tongue Of the little
fire Ia die away. The last OF her fuel
was ignlted and burning out they
were crouched and ready 10 spring II
she should venture forth after more.
The darkness closed down deeper, and
at last only II column Of smoke re-
manned.
II was nothing to be afraid Of. The
grent, gray leader Of the pick. n wolf
that weighed nearly 100 pounds, be-
gan slowly and deliberately 10 set his
muscles for the spring. II was the
saine as when the great hull elk comes
10 bny AT the base of the cliffs; usual
Iy some one wolf. often the great pack
leader, wishing TO remind his followers
Of his might, or else some full-grown
male proud I'm his strength, will attack
alone. Because this was the noblest
game that the pack had ever faced,
the leader chose TO make the first leap
himself. II was true that these two
had neither such horns nor razor
edged hoofs Ms the elk, yet they had
eyes that chilled his heart when he
tried to look nj them. But n was
lying almost prone. and the fire was
out. Besides. the madness Of starva-
zion. intensified ten times by their ter
rible realization of the wound at her
nip. was upon the pack as never be-
fore. The muscles punched at his
lean TANKS.
But as Snowbird and her father
gazed nj him In fascinated horror. the
great wolf suddenly smashed down in
the snow. She was aware of its curl
Gus. utter collapse actually before the
sound Of the rife shot that occasiOned
II had penetrated her Consciousness.
II wGs a perfect shot at long range;
and Tor a long instant her tortured 7
faculties refused to accept the truth.
Then the rifle spoke again, and a sec
.nd VIOLA large male that crouched
ON the other side OF the sled-fell kick
ing IN the snow. The pack had leaped
at the first death: but they
halted ut the second. And then ter
came 10 them when the third wolf
suddenly opened Its savage lips and
screamed fl the DEAN agony.
Up to this time. except for the re-
rnrt os the rifle. the attack had been
4 ade in uier silence. The reason was
,-Ist that both breath and nervous
FORCE are needed to shout; and Dan
could afford to waste neither
~ these vital forces. He had dropped
b1 his knee. and was firing again and
again. his gray eyes looking clear and
ytraight along the barrel. his fingers
Without jerk or tremor pressing again
shd again at the trigger. his hands
the rife as In a wise. Every
.erve and muscle were completely in
MS command. The distance was far.
ret he shot with deadly, amazing ac-
1racy. The wolves were within a few
-eet Of the girl, and a fractions waver
N the gun barrel might have sped his
Juliet toward her.
srt's Dan Failing Lennon shouted