known world. Each day he encountered something new, always wonderful,
frequently terrifying. But his terrors grew less and less and his
confidence correspondingly greater. As he found that none of the things
he feared did him any harm he became more and more bold in his
investigations. And his appearance was changing, as well as his view of
things. His round roly-poly body was taking a different form. He became
lithe and quick. The yellow of his coat darkened, and there was a
whitish-gray streak along his back like that along Kazan's. He had his
mother's under-throat and her beautiful grace of head. Otherwise he was
a true son of Kazan. His limbs gave signs of future strength and
massiveness. He was broad across the chest. His eyes were wide apart,
with a little red in the lower corners. The forest people know what to
expect of husky pups who early develop that drop of red. It is a warning
that they are born of the wild and that their mothers, or fathers, are
of the savage hunt-packs. In Ba-ree that tinge of red was so pronounced
that it could mean but one thing. While he was almost half dog, the wild
had claimed him forever.

Not until the day of his first real battle with a living creature did
Ba-ree come fully into his inheritance. He had gone farther than usual
from the windfall--fully a hundred yards. Here he found a new wonder. It
was the creek. He had heard it before and he had looked down on it from
afar--from a distance of fifty yards at least. But to-day he ventured
going to the edge of it, and there he stood for a long time, with the
water rippling and singing at his feet, gazing across it into the new
world that he saw. Then he moved cautiously along the stream. He had not
gone a dozen steps when there was a furious fluttering close to him, and
one of the fierce big-eyed jays of the Northland was directly in his
path. It could not fly. One of its wings dragged, probably broken in a
struggle with some one of the smaller preying beasts. But for an instant
it was a most startling and defiant bit of life to Ba-ree.

Then the grayish crest along his back stiffened and he advanced. The
wounded jay remained motionless until Ba-ree was within three feet of
it. In short quick hops it began to retreat. Instantly Ba-ree's
indecision had flown to the four winds. With one sharp excited yelp he
flew at the defiant bird. For a few moments there was a thrilling race,
and Ba-ree's sharp little teeth buried themselves in the