e feast
being enjoyed by their fellows, and trotted back, to renew their fight
over poor Cottontail's bones.

Jimmy breathed freer for a few minutes after their departure, but his
situation was anything but comfortable or agreeable. It was a strain
upon his muscles to maintain his position, and there was constant danger
that the limbs he was supporting himself by would break and tumble him
to the bottom of the ravine. And yet he dared not descend to the ground,
because, the wolves might attack or pursue him at any moment. The day
grew brighter and the sun appeared, and still Jimmy clung to his
swaying, uncertain support, until it seemed to him that he _must_
descend and give relief to his aching arms and feet.

But he knew that a race between himself and the wolves upon the open
prairie would be a hopeless one for him; for, emboldened as the
naturally cowardly creatures always were by numbers, they would never
give up the chase until they had run him down.

Thus two long hours passed, and meantime a painful consciousness grew
upon him that his usual morning meal was lacking. He thought, with
longing, of the delicious, mealy, baked potatoes and corn-fritters, with
their respective accompaniments of cream-gravy and fresh butter, that
had probably adorned Lottie's breakfast-table, and wondered if, when
released from his very unpleasant predicament, he would have strength
enough remaining to enable him to make his way to the ranch, ten miles
further on, according to Mr. Highton, where he could procure something
to fill the "aching void" that was making him more and more
uncomfortable.

At length, to his great joy, the sounds of fighting and snarling grew
less and less, and although he was unable to see from his station the
place where the pack had congregated, Jimmy felt sure that they had
dispersed, and, wearied and cramped, he ventured to descend to the
ground.

He stole cautiously out of the ravine to reconnoitre, and found his
surmise correct. There was not a wolf to be seen. They had stolen away
through the tall grass to their abiding-places, and the prairie showed
no sign of any living creature save himself.

After waiting a short time to make sure that they were really gone,
Jimmy ran forward to discover what it was that they had been feasting
upon. As he neared the spot, he uttered a cry of dismay. The tall grass
had hidden the object until he was within a few yards of it, but now he
saw that it had been his