be away from the place
she had made in Hurda. Suffering of any kind to Skag was a sign of
weakness. He had dwelt long on the subject.

The mystery of that first night out had to do with the fact that Carlin
seemed to be near. He had known something of this before, a flash at
least, but nothing like this. There wasn't the pain about separation
he had known aforetime. It was as if the miracle he had longed for had
come--some awakening of life within himself that was quick to her
presence even at a distance and cognisant that absence was illusion.
Carlin's uncle, the mystic of the Vindhas, had told him that there were
mysteries of romance that had to do with separation as well as with
together, and that real mates learn this mystery through the years.
To-night Skag found to his wonder that the mystic had spoken the truth.

He cooked the supper joyously and shared it with Nels, talking to him
often and answering himself for the Dane. The camp was in the open and
the night was presently lustrous with stars. There was a sense of
well-being, together with his fresh delight in the unfolding secret of
Carlin's nearness, that made him enjoy staying awake. Nels was wakeful
also--as if these moments were altogether too keen with life to waste
in sleep.

"It's just a ramble, old man. We'll be about it early," Skag said
toward the last. "We may find what we're after and we may not. In any
case we'll live on the way."

That was Skag's old picture of the Now; making the most of the
ever-moving point named the Present.

"And I'm expecting great things from you, my son--an altogether new
brand of self-control--if we find what we're out after. I don't mind
telling you that it's Tiger, Nels--tiger babies possibly--little
orphans just grown enough to be demons and just knowing enough not to
behave."

Nels woofed.

"Half-grown tiger cubs are apt to be a whole lot meaner than their
parents," Skag went on. "Wild--that's the word. They haven't sense
enough to be careful or mind enough to be appealed to. I think that's
something of what I mean to say."

Skag was taking more pains to explain than he would to a man. Nels
didn't get it--didn't even make a pretense. He knew what Tiger meant,
but so far as he was concerned that subject had been dropped some
moments since. He had listened intently to the point in which Tiger
ceased to be the topic--sitting on his haunches. Then he dropped to
his front elbows, and as Skag