Evening star., 1924-07-30

her dispieasure the old leader would
Whirl on the threeyear-old. Some
times she whirled with him. And
sometimes the young leader on the
| left whirled. too.
At such times, confronted by three
sets OF savage teeth, the young wolf
stopped precipitately. throwing him
self back on his launches, with fore
| legs stiff, mouth menacing and name
bristiing. This confusion in the front
or the moving pack always caused
confusion in the rear The wolves
behind collided with the. young wolf
and expressed their displeasure By
administering sharp nips Oh his hind
legs and TANKS. He was laying up
trouble for himself, for lack of food
and short tempers went together: but
persisted in repeating the Inaneuver
every little while. though it never
succeeded in gaining anything for
him but discontinue.
Had there been food. lovc-makinG
and fighting would have gone on
apace, and the pack formation would
have been broken UP. But the situa-
tion of the pack was desperate. 1;
was lean with long tanding hunger.
1t ran below it's ordinary speed. Al
the rear limped the weak members
the very young and the very old
At the front were the strongest Yet
all were more like skeletons than
full-bodied wolves. Nevertheless
Win the exception Oh the Oues lHdt
limped. the movements of the ami
mails were effortless and tirelc,S
Their str.ngy muscles seemed founts
of ineShaustible energy. Behind
every steel-like contraction of
muscle lay another steel-like con-
traction, and another. and another
apparently without end.
They ran many miles that day.
They ran through the night. And
the next day found them still run
~, ir.rp he
surface of world frozen and dead.
No life stirred They alone moved
through the vast inertness. The
alone were alive. and they sought for
that they might deyour them and
They crossed I":v l'viGes 80
anged a dozen small streams In a
lower-lying country before Ih-Ir que
was rewarded. They they came upon
moose. II was d big bull they first
found. Here was meat and life. and
it was guarded by no mysterious fires
nor flying missiles Of fame. Splay
hoofs and palmated antlers they
knew, and they flung their customar>
patience and caution TO the wind. II
was a brief fight and fierce. The big
bull was beset on every side. He
ripped them open or split their skulls
with shrewdly driven blows Of his
great huffs. He crushed them and
stamped them into the snow under
him in the wallowing struggle. But
he was foredoomed, and he went
down with the she-woif tearing sav-
agely at his throat. and with Other
teeth fixed everywhere upon him. de-
vouring him alive, before ever his
last struggles ceased or his last dam
age had been wrought.
There was food in plenty. The bun
weighed more than 500 pounds-fuliy
20 pounds Of meat per mouth Tor the
forty odd wolves of the pack. But If
they could fast prodigiousl.. tney
could feed prodigiously, and soon a
few scattered bones were all that re
mained OF the splendid live brute
that had faced the pack a few hours
before.
There was now much resting and
sleeping. With full stomachs. bick-
ering and quarreling began among
the younger males. and this continued
through the few days that followed
before the breaking up of the pack
The famine was over The wolves
were now in the country of game.
and. though they still hunted in pack,
they hunted more cautiously, cutting
out heavy cows or crippled old bulls
from the small moose herds they ran
across.
There came day in this land OF
olenty when the wolf pack spit in
half and went in different directions
The she-wolf the younger leader on
the left and the one-eyed elder on
her right, led their half OF the pack
down to the Mackenzie River and
across into the lake country to the
east. Each day this remnant OF the
pack dwindled. Two by two. male
and female. the wolves were desert
ing. Occasionally a solitary male
was driven out by the sharp teeth OF
his rivals. In the end there re
manned only four-the she-woH, the
young leader. the one-eyed one, and
the ambitious 3-year-old.
The she-wolf had by now developed
ii ferocious temper. Her three Sutors
all bore the marks OF her teeth. Yet
they never replied in kind. never de
Iended themselves against her The
turned their shoulders to her most
savage slaShes. and with waSgins
tails and mincing steps strove 10 p.a-
cate her wrath. But if they were all
misdness toward her, they were all
herceness toward one another The
3-year-old grew too ambitious in his
elder on his blind side and ripped his
ear into ribbons. Though the grizzled
old fellow could see only on one
side. against the youth and vigor or
the other he brought into play the
wisdom of long years.of experience.
bore aha TO hs the of b
experience. He had survived too
many battles 10 be in doubt for
moment about what to do.
The battle began fairly. but it did
not end fairly. There was no telling
what the outcome would have been,
for the third wolf Joined the elder,
and together, old leader and young
leader. they attacked the ambitious
S-year-old and proceeded to destroy
him. He was beset on either side by
the merciless fangs Of his erstwhile
rnrnradac Enrpnffnr hn Ao,T
they had hunted together. the game
they had pulled down, the famine they
had suffered. That business was a
thing Of the past. The business OF
crueler business than that of food
getting.
And in the meanwhile the She
wolf, the cause OF it all. sat down
contentedly on her launches and
watched. She was even pleased. This
when names bristled and fang smote
or ripped and tore the yielding flesh,
all for the possession of her.
And in the business of love the g
venture upon it. yielded up his life.
On either side Of .his body stood his
two rivals. They were gazing at the
she-wolf, who sat smiling in the
snow But the elder leader was wise,
very wise, in love even as in battle.
AAC sooh6ei iCdoeF tuTheu MS neaO
to lick wound on his shoulder. The
curve of his neck was turned toward
his rival. With his one eye the elder
saw his opportunity. He darted in
low and closed with his fangs 1t
was long, ripping slash. and deep
as we'll. His teeth in passing burst
the wall of the great vein of the
throat. Then he leaped clear
The young leader snarled terribly.
but his snarl broke midmost into a
tickling cough. Bleeding and cough
ing, already stricken. he sprang at
the elder and fought while life faded
from him, his legs going weak be-