Show I I- I 5 1 0 KAZAN I f The Story of a Dog t i That Turned W Wolf oU J i 3 i iBy i t. t i- i By 01 James Oliver Curwood wood 1 Merrill Bobbi Co i i Copyright J tt i CHAPTER XVI I Continued Is 18 18 In wolf now swiftly the swiftly the Silently Kazan came to fo his his- movement every very the chain t that mt held feet oct He forgot st stood od th the enemy him im Ten feet away hated above all ot others ers he lie had ever he Le Every ounce of streng strength In ii known gathered Itself forthe for forthe forlie Ills his Is splendid body he be leaped This then And the lie spring back time Ime the chain did not pull him Age and the elements elements ele ele- almost weakened the leather ther col- col collar collar col col- ments had the days of his lar ir he be had bad worn since slavery lavery In the traces arid and It gave way turned and In a Sandy with pith a snap second leap Kazan's azans fangs sank Into the flesh of ot ills his arm the man fell With a n startled cry on the ground and as the they rolled over out voice rolled t the big Danes Dane's deep athis at athis he lie tugged In thunderous alarm as hold was fall fail Kazan's his leash In lu the broken In an In Instant tant he lie was on his his' another attack And feet ready rendy for free then the change came He was from his neck The collar was gone The forest the stars the whispering wind were all about him Here were Wolf I was Gray Gray and off there was men His ears dropped and he t turned swiftly swiftly swift swift- back Into ly and amI slipped d like Ike a shadow the glorious freedom of his world A hundred yards away something som tIling stopped him ilm for an instant It was not the big Danes Dane's voice but the sharp crack crack crack-crack crack crack-crack-crack crack crack of the little tie professors professor's professors professor's professors professor's pro pro- fessor's automatic And above that voice of Sandy Sandy- sou sound d there thee ros rose the v ice In a weird and terrible cry CHAPTER 7 An Empty World Mile after mile Kazan went on For Fora a time time he was oppressed by by- bythe the shivering shivering shivering shiv shiv- ering note of of death tl that it had come to and him In Sandy cry cry- he lie slipped sUpped through the ba like a a shadow v his ears flattened flatten d his tail tan trailing ing his hindquarters betraying that curious slinking qualify quality of the wolf and dog stealing away from dan dan- ger Then he lie came out upon a 3 plain and the stillness the billion stars inthe In Inthe Inthe the clear vault of the sky sley and the k kee keen en air that carried with It a 3 breath of the Arctic barrens made him alert and questioning He faced the the direction direction direction tion of the wind Somewhere off there far to the south and west was Gray V Wolf olf For t the e first time lime In many weeks he sat back back- backon on his haunches and gave the deep and vibrant call cali that echoed weirdly for miles about him Back in inthe the the big Dane heard it and whined From over the still sUll bod body of Sandy the little professor sor looked up with a white tense face and listened for a second cry But Instinct told Kazan that to that first call there would be no answer and now he struck out swiftly gallop galloping n mile after mile Une as a do dog follows the trail of Its master home He did I Inot not turn back to the lake lalee nor was his direction toward Red Gold City As straight as he be might have bave followed a road blazed by the hand band of man he lie cut across the forty miles of plain and swamp and forest and rocky ridge that lay hay between him and the lane All that night he did not callagain callagain call callagain again for Gray Wolf olt With him reasoning reasoning rea rca zoning was vas as a 3 process brought about by habit by precedent precedent and and as Gray GrayWolf GrayWolf GrayWolf Wolf had bad waited for him sunny many times before he knew that she he would be waiting for him now near the sand sand- ba bar By dawn he had reached the river within three miles of the sa sand d Scarcely was the sun up when hen he lie stood on the white strip of sand where he and and Gray Wolf had come down to drink Expectantly and confidently he looked about him for Gray Wolf whinIng whining ing softly and wagging his tall tail He lIe b. b began gan to search f for r her scent but rains had washed even her footprints from the clean sand All that day he searched for her het along the river and t out on the plain He lle went to where they had killed their last rabbit He I sniffed at the bushes wh where here re the poison baits balts had hung Again and again he ho sat back bacle on his haunches and sent out his mating cry to her And slowly slow slow- slowly ly Iy as he did these things nature was working in him that miracle of the wild which the Crees have mye named the spirit call caU As It had worked inGray InGray In InGray Gray Wolf so now It stirred the blood of Kazan With the going of of the sun and the sweeping about him him of shadowy night I he turned more and more to the south and md east cast His whole world was made mude up of the trails over oyer which he lie he had hunted Bey Beyond nd those places he lie did not know that there was such a n thing is existence And in that world small sinai in m his understanding of things was Gr Gray ay W Wolf o lf H He lie e could coutu not miss her t I Chat world In his comprehension of it ran rau from the Mcl McFarlane arlane in a tsar nar narrow row trail through the forests and over I r the plains to the little valley If Gray GrayWolf I Wolf was vas not here she sh she was there and tirelessly he rc resumed umed his quest of he her Not until the stars were fading out f the sk sky again anti anil gray day was jiving 1 place to night did id exhaustion and hunger st p him lIe He killed a rab bit hit for hours after he lie had feasted und and slept he lay close to his kill Then he went on The fourth night he be came to the little valley y between the two ridges anti and under the stars more brilliant now In th the chill chili clearness of or the early emly autumn nights he followed the creek down Into their old swamp home It was broad brond day when hen h he reached what had once been his home borne and Gray GrayWolf's GrayWolf's Wolfs Wolf's and for sunny many minutes Kazan stood silent and motionless mo theal the al air Until now his spirit had remained unbroken Footsore with thinned sides and gaunt head he lie circled slowly through the swamp All that day he searched And his Ills crest lay hay flat fiat now the in look and there thereas was as a hunted droop of his shoulders and In lu the shifting shiftIng shift- shift Ing Ins look o of his eyes Gray Wolf was cone rone Slowly nature was Impinging that fact upon him She had hud passed out of his world and out of his life ami and he was filled with a loneliness and a grief so great that the forest seemed of the wild wilda strange and amI the stillness a thing that now oppressed and frightened frightened fright fright- ened cacti him Once more the dog in him was vas mastering the wolf volf With Gray GrayWolf GrayWolf world of possessed the W Wolf oU he lie had freedom Without her that world was wasso wasso wasso so big and strange and empty that it appalled him Late in the afternoon he came upon a little pile of crushed clam shells suds on the tue shore of the stream He sniffed at them them turned turned n away went ay-went went ba back lc and sniffed again But the scent she had left behind was not riot strong enough to tell Kazan and for a second time he turned away That night he lie slunk and cried himself to under n a log sleep Deep in Ia the night he grieved In his uneasy slumber like a n child And day after day and night after night Kazan remained a 3 slinking creature of the big Dig swamp mourning for the one creature that had brought him out of chaos Into light who had filled bi his world for him and who In going from him had bad taken from this world even the things that Gray Wolf had bad lost In her blindness I CHAPTER I IThe The Call of Sun Rock In the golden glow of the autumn win uin there came up the stream overlooked overlooked overlooked over over- looked by the Sun Rock one day c n a aman man a woman woman and a child In a canoe C Civilization had done for lov lovely ly Joan Joac what it had done for many another 1 f I i I hIJ 3 S It r I A Strange Fire Leaped Through His Body wild flower transplanted from the depths of the wilderness Her cheeks were thin Her blue eyes had lost their lust luster r. r She coughed and when she coughed the man looked at her with love and fear in tn his eyes But now slowly the man had begun to see the transformation and on the day their canoe pointed up the stream and Into the wonderful valley u that at had been their home before the call of the distant city came to them he lie noted the flush gathering once more snore in her cheeks the fuller redness of her lips and the gathering glow of happiness and content in III her e eyes es I He lie e laughed softly as he lie saw these things and he lie blessed the forests In the canoe she had leaned back bacle with her head almost almost al al- most against his shoulder and he stopped paddling to draw her to him him and run his fingers through the soft golden masses of her hair hall You are happy again Joan he laughed jo joyously The Tue doctors were right You are arc a part of the forests Yes I am happy she whispered u. u and suddenly there came a little thrill into her voice and she pointed to a white finger of sand running out into nto the stream Do you ou remember remember years years and years ago It seems that seems that Kazan left us here She was on the sand over there calling to him Do you yi remember There was a little tremble tremble tremble trem trem- ble about her mouth and she added I Iwonder wonder wonder where where the they they have have gone The cabin was as they had bad left lert It Only the crimson had grownup grown grownup up about It and shrubs and tall grass hud hind sprung sprong up near Its walls Once more snore It took on life Ute and day b by day the color came deeper Into Joans Joan's cheeks cheel s am and her voice was filled with Its old wild sweetness of song Joans Joan's husband cleared the trails over his isis ol old trap lines and aud Joan and the little Joan transformed the cabin into home llOmo One night the thee man isian returned to the cabin late hate and when he came caine in there was as a aglow aglow aglow glow of excitement in Joans Joan's blue c eyes es and a n tremble In tn her voice when she greeted him Did you ou hear It she asked Did you hear the hear the call He lie nodded stroking her bel soft hair I was a mile back In the lie creek swamp he lie said I 1 heard It I 1 hands clutched his arms Joans Joan's I III she said Kazan It wasn't It would recognize his voice But lint seemed to me It was ms like the othe othe- other that morning from the call that cam came sand-bar sand his mate the Ule The Tho man was thinking Joans Joan's fingers fingers fin fin- a n breathing gers gem tightened She was quickly little me this sh she Will you promise me that you Will promise asked ed you for wolves solves hunt or trap will n never ver T 1 had thought of that he lie le replied the call I heard I II thought of It after It-after after Yes I will promise about his neck Joans Joan's arms arnis stole up she whispered Wo Vo loved Kazan And ou might 1 kill him or or her ller Suddenly you she stopped Both l listened and to little ajar door was a n The again the wolling walling there came caine them mate-call mate of oC the wolf Joan ran to the thai Her ller husband followed s 1 door L and 1 i with f tons tense e L and 1 i with f tons tense e cr or t they h ey s stood t o od silent over the starlit breath Joan pointed plain commanded Listen I 1 Listen 1 she from the Its It's her cry and it came Sun Rock 1 She ran out Into the night forgetting forgetting forgetting forget forget- close behind h hOrnow her hOr r ting that the man was little Joan was that now forgetting alone In tn her ber I laid bed e And to them from there the plain miles and miles across came Sm S i a Wailing alling n b irY cry in in answer answer ii a cry n wind 1 1 and amI n n wind 1 1 and amI that i se seemed a i part t of f th the ic I that thrilled Joan until her hel breath broke in a strange sob Farther out on the time plain she w went nt and then stopped with the golden moon and ami the stars star autumn glow of the shimmering in her ber hair and e eyes es It If was man many minutes before the cry came that again and then It was so near Joan Jonn put her ber hands to her mouth and the tile plum plain as s inthe In Inthe Inthe her cry rang out over the da days daj's s 's of old Kazan I 1 Kazan I Kazan I At tho the top of the the- Sun Rock Gray GrayWolf starvation Wolf Wolf gaunt gaunt and thinned by cry and amI the tion heard tion-heard heard the womans woman's cry cali call that was In her bel throat died away in a n whine And to the tue north a swiftly moving shadow stopped for a moment under rock and rind stood like a thing of A strange I the starlight It was Kazan through his body Every fire leaped leaned 11 n was 11 n was fiber of pf his brute un understanding d ers t an di ng afire with the knowledge that here was home bome It was here bere long ago that he lie had lived Jived and loved and fought fought and and andall all at once the tue dreams that had grown faded and indistinct In his memory came back to him as real living things For coming to him faintly over the plain he heard beard Joans Joan's voice I 1 In the starlight Joan stood tense a and d white when from out of the pale I mists of the moon-glow moon he lie came to her cringing on his belly panting and aad wind-run wind and with a strange whining ing note in his throat And as Joan went to him her arms reaching out her lips sobbing his name over and over again the man stood and looked down upon them with the wonder of a new and greater grenter understanding in his face He lie had no fear of the wolf-dog wolf now And Andas as fiS Joans Joan's arms hugged Kazan's great shaggy head up to her he he- heard the whining ga gasping ping joy of the beast and the sobbing whispering voice oice of the girl and with tensely gripped hands bands handshe he faced the Sun Rock Good heavens l I he breathed I III believe be be- lieve Its lieve-It's its it's so so- so As if In response to the thought In his lila mind there here came once more across the plain Gray V Wolfs Wolf's aUs aU's seeking mate cry of grief and of loneliness Swiftly as though struck by a lash Kazan was wason wason wason on his his feet feet oblivious oblivious of Joans Joan's touch of her voice of the presence of the man In another Instant he was gone and anti Joan flung herself against her husbands husband's breast and almost fiercely fiercely took tool his face between her two hands hand Now do you believe she cried Now do you believe In the God of or my world world the the God I 1 have lived I with the God that gives souls to the wild things the God that that that-that that has brought brought us us together once all together once more home home I His arms closed gently about herI herI herI her I I believe my Joan he lie whispered i And you understand now what now what I it means Thou not kill I Except that it brings us life life- yes life es I understand lie be replied I Her warm soft hands stroked ed hi his face Her blue eyes filled with the glory of the stars looked up un into his I acid I-acid and Kazan and you she she Ehe- Ehe you ou and the lie baby I 1 Are Aie you OU sorry that sorry that we came back she site asked So close he lie drew her against his his' breast that hint she did not hear bear the words he lie whispered III in the soft warmth of her hair And after that for many hours the they sat in the starlight in front of the time cabin door But the they did not hear again |