The Belding banner-news. (Belding, Mich.) 1918-1973, 1921-02-02


living creature was advancing toward
them; and twigs were cracking be-
meath its feet. The sounds were rath.
er suhdued, and yet. as the animal ap-
preached. both OF them instinctivefy
knew that they were extremely lond
for the usual footsteps of any Of the
wild creatures.
"What is IT." Dan asked quietly.
Lennox was so intrigued by the
sounds that he was not even observ-
ant of the peculiar. subdued quality
In Dams voice. Otherwise, he would
have wondered at 1t. I'm free to
confess don't know" he said '1ts
booming right toward us, like most
animals don't care to do. OF course
1t may be human being. You must
watch out for that"
They waited. The sound ended
They stood straining for long mo-
ment without speech.
THAT was the dumdest thing ~
Lennox went on. "Of course 1t might
have been a bear-you never know
what they're going to do. 1t might
have got sight of us and turned Off.
But can't believe that II was just a
deer"
But then his words chopped square
~ off In his throat The plodding adj
vance commenced again. And the
next instant a gray form revealed it.
self at the edge OF the thicket.
II was Graycoat the coyote, half
blind with his madness, and des-
perate In his agony.
There was no more deadly thing In
all the hills than he. Even the bite
OF rattlesnake would have been well
coined beside his. He stood long
instant, and all his instincts and re-
flexes that would have ordinarily
made him flee in abject terror were
thYarted and twisted by the fever of
his Madness He stared moment at
the two figures. and his red eyes could
not interpret them. They were simply
foes, for IL was true that when this
tracking agony was upon him. even
lifeless trees seemed foes sometimes
He seemed eerie and unreal as he
gazed at them out of his burning eyes ::
and the white foam gathered at his
fangs. And then, wholly without
warning, he charged down at them.
He came with unbelievable speed.
The elder Lennox cried once In warn
ing and cursed himself for ventur-
ing forth on the ridge without a gun.
He was fully twenty feet distant from
Dan; yet he saw i'm an instant his
only course. This was no time to
trust their lives to the craftsmanship
Of an amateur. He sprang toward
Dan, intending to wrench the weapon
from his hand.
But he didn't achieve his purpose.
At the first step his foot caught in
projecting root, and he was shot to
his face on the trail. But long life
In the wilderness had developed Len
nox's refiexes to an abnormal degree
many crises had taught him muscle
and nerve control; and only for
fraction of an instant, period Of
time that few instruments are fine
enough to measure, did he lie supinely
upon the ground. He rolled on, into
position OF defense But he knew
now he could not reach the younger
man before the mad coyote would be
upon them. The matter was out Of
his hands. Everything depended on
the aim and self-control Of the tender
foot.
He looked up, and the whole weird
picture was thrown upon the retina of
his eyes. The coyote was still racing
straight toward Dan. a gray demon
that in his madness was more terrible
than any charging bear or elk. Fog
there is an element Of horror about
the insane. whether beasts or men,
that cannot be denied. Both mensfelt
II, with chill that seemed to pene-
trate clear to their hearts. The eyes
famed, the white fangs Of Graycoat
caught the sunlight. And Dan stood
erect In his path, his rife half raised
to his shoulder; and even in that first
frenzied instant I'm which Lennox
looked at him. he saw there was
strange impassiveness, singular Inn
perturbability on his face.
"Shoot, mani" Lennox shouted.
"What are you waiting for?"
But Dan didn't shoot. His hand
whipped TO his face, and he snatched
Off his thick-lensed glasses. The eyes
that were revealed were narrow and
deeply intent. And by now, the fren-
zied coyote was not fifty feet distant.
All that had occurred since the anil
NAL charged had possibly taken five
seconds. Sometimes five seconds Is
just breath; but as Lennox waited
for Dan to shoot, II seemed like
period wholly without limit He Won
dered II the younger man had fallen
into that strange paralysis that a
great terror sometimes imbues.
Shoot" he screxmed again.
But II IL doubtful II Dan even heard
his shout- At that instant his gun