Show JINNY JI AND THE WOLVES Continued C from Page 1 rode Muldoon on short trips leaving lea ing the Heir Apparent to Jinny On these occasions however we always picketed her h r so elephants could not have torn our hitches loose for Jinny was con contemplating contemplating contemplating nothing less than an elope elopement elopement elopement ment with her Jinks and I happened to want him for myself to say sa nothing of his One afternoon we were camping camp ng then in the neighborhood of Laramie peak grouse hunting with an eye ee out for bears which are rather plentiful in inthe inthe inthe the vicinity we picketed Jinny in a wide field of an abandoned ranch where grass was good and told her to take care car of Jinks till we returned Jinks was nothing loath to stay trotting over the hard mountain trails tired him hima a good deal and wore his little hoofs sadly sad 1 and besides Jinny was very you ou know what Im trying to say but cant you rather stay with your Aunty or your our some sometimes sometimes sometimes times So Jinks gave us a n cheerful whinny and we rode off to a stream some ome miles away where the willow grouse groue came in to drink at sunset Well VeIl we got our grouse grou e and were bound as the sun dipped be behind behind behind hind the peak when the breeze came a long rising cry CT the hunting call can of the wolf The Captain theve winded him Brandt exclaimed pushing Black Bess up a n mountain side to which a flight of or stairs or a stepladder might be el of e y riding My Jinks for supper not while Ilive I Ilive Ilive live said Muldoon in her own lan Ian language an guage hurrying after Black Bess ears perked and wide nostrils taking the wind At the crest of the ridge we saw the th field with Jinny picketed in the middle of it Even at that distance and with the fading light we could make out the wolves already circling about Jinks and Jinny and beginning their attack giraffes cried Brandt flinging off oft his horse and snatching the rifles its that old and her brood Williams said carried off at his colt close to the ranch house last week Say Sa goodbye goodbe to the Heir Apparent Trust Jinny Jinn I r retorted We were too far for tor a shot We left our horses on the ridge and foot footed footed footed ed it down as the safest and quickest way for it was dusk under the trees and every step was perilous The wind favored us and we reached a hillock in easy range without the wolves sus suspecting suspecting suspecting our presence At the Instant we raised our rifles a cub soared aloft from Jinnys heels like a big bad bat batand batand batand I and came down with a plop He Hc never moved again I 1 I Good shot shoU cried both of us at once i Oh wait I whispered excitedly I Give her a n chance I bet on Jinny We crept on a bit nearer with rifles rifle ready read The pack a big and now nov three cubs circled round and round snapping snarling leaping but Jinny Tinny we saw at once was at a ter terrible terrible terrible disadvantage with the picket rope straining at the very ery end of it tand and we both remembered elephants could 1 not tear those hitches loose Suddenly she turned galloped back the full length of at it and brought up P with a sudden jerk But the jerk in front pre precipitated precipitated precipitated a jerk behind a second cub soared aloft and came down with a bro broken broken broken ken fore leg eg Jinny TInny turned again to run a rope ropo length caught Jinks with it by the heels and down he sprawled The three wolves rushed him at once we knew he was done for forand and then Jinny went Vent over him like a bird landed between the and her cubs snapping right and left eft and scattering them afield Jinks got up on his little stilts again He was now between us and Jinny the cubs and mother separated they attacking him in front and the old 01 1 the rear We sighted on them but dared not shoot Then Jinnys Jin Jinnys Jinnys nys head went down her heels went up and in that instant one of or the cubs leaped at the colts throat caught held Quick as lightning Jinny snapped once missed him twice his back was iwas vas in her jaws crunch we could hear the bones break brcak She tore him off and shook him out of her mouth as a terrier ter terrier terrier rier does a rat great I cried Three to her herg I credit Go it Jinny g go b o it iU giraffes was Brandts eulogy eu eulogy logy on the last feat It beats jump In giraffes The moment she had flung the cub from her Jinny TInny turned to do her rope length trick again came to the end Jerked too suddenly staggered to save herself and tripped up poor Jinks who went down flat Instantly she strad straddled straddled led him told him lie He still if he val valued valued valued his little life and planted over him began a performance right leg kick left leg Jeg kick both legs kick as fast as she could go and as regular as machinery And Jinks lay all this while still as a mouse how she kept herself from trampling him I dont know Backs broke I heard Brandt mut mutter mutter mutter ter terI I was so excited by this time that I Iwas Iwas Iwas was gripping Brandts arms and craz crazily crazily ily lly whispering Eat em alive Eat em alive Jinny The cub was making up for his share of the fighting by limping about in a circle snapping and snarling the undamaged cub had be become become become come dejected but the old was wild She saw that attacking in inthe Inthe inthe the rear was a losing game for her herand und and gave it up but as soon as she at attacked att attacked tacked t In front she found her advantage advantage advantage tage With Jinks under her Jinny could not execute any quick turns to bring her heels into play pIa Twice the thewalt wolf walt nipped her neck twice Jinny par parried parried parried ried But the wolf had her now and she knew Ij it So did we We Ye sighted for tor fora tora a shot to take her the instant she was I out of direct line Une with Jinks At that I I moment the wolf walt rushed for a grap grapple grapple pie that should end nd the fight As she sprang Jinny rose straight in the air i caught her head and shoulders and brought her to earth Down and down I and down came the iron shod hoofs 1 p pounding crushing and the wolf lay still And then Jinny with her fore forefeet forefeet forefeet feet planted on the dead lifted up her voice and laughed shrieked out the most diabolical and unholy bray that ever came from tom living creatures i throat We ran The cub was licking his paw the other back bris bristling bristling tall tail drooping was slinking out of a Jinnys reach But they the saw saw us now n w vanished behind Jinny and before we got them in range range they disappeared under un under under der the dark ulnes at the clearing side And Jinks No his back bro broken broken broken ken He hopped up UD when he saw us coming hurt a n scratch except for a little skin wound on his throat at which we plastered up with lard and a rag Jinny TInny chewed it off of the minute our backs were turned As s to Jinny Jh n nIt It was ivas s all we e could co ld do dot ft ke her step off of the wolf Volf Looks like goin to make maIm her supper outa wolf tonight What did I Itell Itell Itell tell you its what she was raised on We dragged the other carcasses by bythe bythe bythe the tails taUs and laid them in a row be before before fore her Give us your hand Pardner I cried catching up her foreleg Youre a heroine and a dead game sport and Im proud to call you ou friend Mem Member Member Member ber all aU those things I used to say sa about your way wa o 0 life lIc I take em all allback allback allback back every eYer last hist one of em Same here Jinny Jinn said Brandt slapping her neck Let bygones be by bygones bygones gones Jinny accepted our apologies and ad admiration admiration with the affable dignity of a duchess sniffed haughtily in the di direction direction direction of her game smelled the Heir Apparent over oyer to make sure he was all allright right and ate grass Which would I rather lose if I I had to lose one Muldoon or Jinny Jinn Dont ask such questions I dont know But ButI I know this if any ay one wa wants ts to buy uy Jinny now my price e for her is one mil million million million lion dollars Copyright |