| Show BAR B- B I SON OF KAZAN M by JAMES OLIVER OLIVERO O L COP COPYRIGHT Yi t O nl I NU NV e Chapter IX Continued IX-Continued Continued I 1 16 16 not forgotten A dozen doren times limes he turned his head bend bock back and Ind nd whined and always lie he picked out accurately the tho direction In which the cabin lay IRY Hut Hilt lie he did not turn back A As the night lengthened his search for tor that lint mysterious something which he hI had hail not lIot found continued Ills His hunger hun hun- ger ctr even with the out failing of the moon and anti tin the lie coming of the gray Irav graydawn graydawn dawn was WaR not lIot lIu sufficiently keen to tomake tomake make him hunt hUllt for tor food tood It was wag cold and It seemed colder collIer when l the glow of the moon and stars died out Under Totter his padded feet fet os- os 14 lly In the lie open spaces was a n thick white while frost In which he left clearly nt at tunes times the tilt Imprint of his toes and ond claws He lie had traveled steadily 1111 for tor hours hour fl A great grot ninny many miles In III all mid and he III was wa tired when the first light of ot the thu day dllY fame pame amt And then there clime came the time lime when with a sud- sud len den harp click of ot his Jaws he stopped like a shot hot In his trucks tracks At last lut It had come the come the meeting with wIlh that lint for tor which which-ho ho had been seek seek- Ing ng With WIllm her head tow toward rd him and welting for him n at he came out of the shadows hi hits his scent strong In her keen nose stood the young youna wolf i Darce Inree hind not smelted smelled her hr but he saw tier directly he came out of lie rim of I young joung balsams that fringed the open It w was ns then thell that he be stopped and for fora a full tull minute ute neither of them moved a a. muscle or seemed to breathe There was as not n II fortnights fortnight's difference difference differ differ- ence nce In their age and yet was 1 the smaller of the two her body was as long but she he was slimmer slim slim- mer she stood on slender legs that were tre almost almont like the legs of a fox and the thie curve of her Iler back was that of n a slightly lightly bent bow a sign of swiftness almost equal to tho wind She stood poised for tor fl flight ht even even v n as Hure Baree ad ads aneed t his first step toward her and then very slowly her body relaxed and In n a direct ratio as he drew drev nearer nearer near near- er her tars ears lost their alertness and nod dropped aslant Baree aree whined Ills His ears were up tip his head had alert his tall aloft and bushy Cleverness If not strategy had al already nl- nl ready become n a part of or his masculine t end he did dill not Immediately Immediately Immedi Immedi- IIttI press tho affair He lie was within fhe feet flet of ot when ho casually casually cas ens- turned iw Sway y y from her and faced the this east at where a n faint penciling of red and gold was heralding the day For Tor n a few moments he sniffed and looked mound and pointed the wind II h much seriousness I S. S as liS though Impressing Im int- pressing on his fair acquaintance us us many tunny a II two legged animal has hns done before fore him his him his tremendous Importance importance tance In the world worM at nt large lorge And A nil III w as properly tin Im- l Ares l. re pd ed Ilaree's bluff worked as ns beautifully beautifully beau bean ns os the bluffs of the two legged sal animals flints He Ill the Iho air with such thrilling thrill thrill- lug ing a and suspicious zeal th that t Ma nice nice- guns gun's ears sprang prong alert and she sniffed It with hi hint him he turned his liend from point to point so sharply and alertly that her feminine curios curios- ity If not anxiety made her turn her own wn head hall In questioning conjunction l. And when whined as though In the tho air he hind had caught a II mystery which hitch she could not lIot possibly understand understand under under- stand n a responsive note gathered In her throat but smothered an and l low ns S a t womans woman's exclamation when she Is not lIot quite sure whether she should Interrupt In ins her hr lord or not At this sound which 1 Havocs Havoc's la roes roe's sharp ears earn caught he Swung up to her hr with a light anti ut mint lug step and In III another moment l hey were wr smelling 11 II I noses 1111 the sun lun rose halt half an nn hour later It found them still In III the small c n on the side of ot the rl ridge l I with a asb p fringe of ot forest under them thIU and beyond I that hilt a 1 wide timbered plain 1001 looked 1 like a ghostly shroud IIII In III I Its tI 1 mantle tip of frost Up over O this came rall tl tI e a red glow Ilow of the day tilling lg the Ilse open 11 with a n warmth that grew w auto and more comfortable as ns the he lii mm sun emit crept higher Neither Ih ree nor were Inclined to move 1 for a while and for foran nn un h hour lur or two t they lay IllY busking basking lit ht acup n Il cup of It the 1111 i slope lope looking down with questing and 11 wideawake ake eyes 8 upon 1 time the H coo plain that stretched I away awny un un- under tt tier der r heat like ilkI a at great sea sen too hud had sought sou the hunt hunt- l stack ack and like ilkI hall failed to catch It They were tired a u little ills ills- pd for tor the time brae and In Il hungry hungry- ry- ry but still alive aliu with the lie tine flue thrill ot of anticipation and restlessly sensitive to the Ihl new mien and 11 mysterious conscious of ot companionship Half f u a dozes dozen t lulls lull's got jol up and nosed 1 about un us liS she II lay In the sun whining ing to her softly and touching her foft coat with his muzzle but hut for a along along long limits Imp she he held little attention to loIn flint At last she followed him All day they wandered and re rested ted together tOI Once more the lie night came It wits was 11 1 moon or Har oars Mars The Ihl mow LIOW 1 to Ie full fall ut lit Ihl k thickly heavily without a breath of sound Mund It Jt was not cold but It was still still sUIl so still that 1 Baree and traveled tray trav only a n few tew yards at nt a time and then stopped to listen In this way wal all the prowlers night of the tho forest were traveling If It they were moving at nl nI It was the first of the Big Snow To the flesh eating wild things thing of the fhe he forests clawed and winged the Dig Big Snow was wai the beginning of the winter carnival of ot slaughter lIer and feasting of wild adventure In the long nights of merciless warfare on the frozen trails The Time days of breeding of motherhood motherhood- the peace of spring and summer summer- were wre over out of time till Ilk sky came callie the wakening of the tho Northland Northland the call of all flesh eating creatures creatures to the long hunt hunt and In hi the first thrill of It living l things were mot moving Ing but little this night light and that watchfully and with suspicion Burel Baree and felt the exciting tag ing pulse of a R new life lite It lured them on It Invited thrill theta to adventure nd Into the white while mystery of the silent storm and Inspired by that restlessness of youth and Its Us desires they went on I The snow grew deeper under their I feet fet In the open spaces they waded wadeLl through It to their knees knee and nd It continued con coq tinned to fall tall In a vast white cloud that descended steadily out of the sky It was near midnight when It stopped i With Her Head Toward Him Stood the Young Wolf The Time clouds drifted away aWRY from under the tho stars and und the noon moon und and for a long longtime longtine time tine and stood with without out nun moving Ing looking down from the bald buld crest of n II ridge upon u II wonderful world Newer Never had they thy seen so far fur except In the light of day dilY Under then them was wasa wasn a n plain They could see Its forests i lone trees that thul stood up like shadows I out of the snow a 11 stream stream-still stream still unfrozen un un- frozen frozen shimmering like gluss glass with the thicker Dicker of or firelight on It Toward this stream Baree led 1111 the way lie He no longer thought of and und he whined with pent up happiness as he lie stopped halfway down mind turned turnell to muzzle He lie wanted to to roll rollIn rollin In 1 the snow and frisk about with his companion he wanted to bark burk to put lut up his his' head houd and howl as liS he lie had bad howled ut lit the lied Hed Moon back buck at nt the cabin Something held him hint from Joins doing these things Perhaps It was vas Malice- Malice guns gun's demeanor She he accepted I his hilt attentions at ut rigidly rl Once One or t twice vice she Rhe laud bud seemed almost frightened twice Baree had heard the sharp clicking of her teeth ti The pre lous nl night ht and andall all 1111 through toni ht s 's storm tl 1 r m u u. u had grown more Intimate but Jut now there was a taking It Its I place a II mysterious aloofness on the tha part purt of could hn have hn ex- ex With Ith the white snow under mind and about hi him in und nail the luminous moon and ami stars u o him 1111 Tl like the night had undergone u II Ion tiun which ln I the of day Jay hud hind nut not made ankle In him hit before Ills coat was like lIe polished hed Jet jel t i ery ery hair In hi his I. I icily body glistened hi black lick Black lIlack I That vas MIS l It And Nature wits was trying to tell luU luhN that lint of nil all the creatures creatures crea crea- tures lurt hated I. I by her kind the tine crem turu which hI they teamed und and hated haled most 11 black With lIh her It II was Willi tint not ox- ox pern mo mice but hut Instinct telling Instinct-telling telling her of or use tilt old use rend feud between the time gray graywolf wolf und and the black bear laur Until they struck III the broad openings s of If the plain tie the young slat she wolf hud hind followed Halve Harce Ha lIa- lve without now there wars a Ii guttering gathering s and blou in lit her manner und mud I twice Wit the stopped d and would would hate haT let flares Bare aree tono to ID toon no on without her An AD hour flOur att after r they entered th the plain there came suddenly out of the wolf wolf pack U k kwas west the tonguing of the I Iwas was not fur far distant probably not apt more than a mile mil along the foot of the ridge and the sharp quick J yapping that followed the first outburst was evidence that the long fanged hunters had put up sudden Iud den game Iame a 11 caribou or young moose and were close at nt Its heels At the voice of her own people laid her ears close dose to her ber head and aDd was off like an arrow from a B bow how The unexpectedness of her movement movement move move- ment and the swiftness of her flight put Baree Boree well behind her In the race over the plain plain- She was running blindly favored by bl luck For an nn Interval interval In In- of ot perhaps five minutes the pack were so 80 near to their game that they made no sound and the chase swung full Into the face of and The latter was not half a n dozen lengths behind the young wolf when a 8 crashing In the time brush directly ahead stopped them no so sharply that they tore up the snow with their braced forefeet and squat haunches Ten Tell seconds later a caribou bur burst t t I through and flashed across an open not more than twenty yards from where they stood They could hear Its swift panting as It disappeared And then lien came the pack I At sight of those swiftly moving gray jray bodies Baree's heart leaped for foran I Ian an Into his Ills throat He live forgot M al 1111 and that she had run away from hint him t. t The moon and the stars went out of existence for tor him lie He no longer sensed the chill chili of the snow under his feet He lie was wolf wolf all all wolf With the warm scent of the caribou In hI his nostrils and the passion to kill sweeping through him like fire Ore he darted after the pack 1 I Very soon lIoon he found himself close to the flanks of one of the gray Iray monsters of the half minute later I pack a anew a n new hunter swept In 10 from the bush behind him and Imd then a second and after that'll third It was as ap If it Haree Baree had hind belonged to the time pack always lie He had Joined It naturally as ns other stray wolves hind had Joined It from out of the bush there had been no ostentation no welcome such as ns had given him In the open no hostility lIe He belonged with these slim swift swift- footed tooted outlaws of the old forests and his own Jaws snapped and his blood ran hot as the smell of the caribou grew heavier and time the the sound of ot its ts crashing body hody nearer It seemed to him they were almost at Its Is heel JIel when they swept Into Inlo an au open plain a stretch of without without with with- out a trl tree or a shrub brilliant in the light of the stars and moon Across Its unbroken carpet of snow sped spell the caribou a spare hundred yards ahead of ot the pack Now the tie two leading hunters no longer followed directly In Inthe Inthe inthe the trail but shot out at an nn angle one to the tho right mid the other to the time left lett of ot the time pursued and like well- well trained soldiers the pack pock split In halves hal and anel spread out shape fan In Inthe Inthe inthe the final charge charill The Ille two ends of ot the fun fan forged attend abend awl anti closed In In until the IC lenders leaders lIerl were running almost abreast of the caribou with fifty or sixty feet separating separating sepa rating them from frum the tile pursued Thus adroitly and swiftly with loudly deadly precision precision precision pre pre- the pack lack had hind formed a n horseshoe horse hone shoe shine cordon of fangs from which there was but one olle course course of flight straight flight straight ahead For Tor the caribou to swerve half halfa a degree to the right or left meant death It was the duty of the leaders to draw In the tho ends of the horseshoe now until one or both or of them could i i make the fatal lunge for the ham ham- i I strings After that It would be a n I simple matter The pack puck would close In over r the caribou like an Inundation I Baree had found his place In the lower rim of the hor horseshoe shoe so that thit I he was fairly well In the rear when the time climax ClIme came The Ihl plain made a n sudden dip Straight ahead was the gleam of water water water-water water shimmering soW softly In the v. and the sight of It t sent a final great spurt of or blood I through the lIu caribous caribou's bursting heart Forty seconds would uld tell the lie story story story- I forty seconds of It n u lust last spurt for tor life of n a final tremendous effort to escape I j death felt the sudden thrill of ot these moments and he forged ahead with the others In III tint that lower rim of the horseshoe us one of the time leading wolves wol made etude a u lunge for tur the young young bulls bull's hang ham It was a clean c miss A second wolf darted In And this this this' one also nisI missed I There was vas no time for others to take their place From Irom the time broken end of the horseshoe health heal 1 the curl earl m I Ibous bous bou's hu plunge Into water When hen Joined jotted the pack u a maddened I mouth frothing snarling horde hordt Napa Napa- moos the time young bull bull was w-as well out In Inthe inthe the river toad swimming steadily forthe fur for the opposite shore hore TO tTO HE liE CONTINUED |
