e felt very much frightened because of Rose's absence. And he felt,
too, as though it might be his fault, although none of the older people
had suggested such a thing. Still, Russ knew that he ought to be beside
his sister right now!

CHAPTER XXI

THE LAME COYOTE

Rose had, of course, heard of coyotes. She had heard them talked about
here at Cowboy Jack's ranch. But she had not caught a glimpse of one
before. Nor did she know this slinking creature behind the bushes was
that animal which ranchmen consider such a pest.

Although coyotes are very cowardly by nature and will seldom attack
human beings, even if starving or enraged, the beasts do kill young
calves and lambs and raid the ranch hen-houses just as foxes do in the
East.

Besides, on the open range, the coyotes howl and whine all night,
keeping everybody in camp awake; so the cowboys have a strong dislike
for Mr. Coyote and have not a single good word to say for him. Indeed,
the coyote seems to possess few good traits.

But Rose Bunker called the creature that had startled her a dog.

"If I could run I know that dog would chase me!" she sobbed. "I wonder
who it belongs to? It must be a runaway dog, to be away out here where
there are no houses. I'm afraid of that dog."

For this Rose was not to be much blamed. This was a strange country to
her, and almost everything she saw was different from what she was used
to back in Pennsylvania. Even the trees and bushes were different. And
she never had seen a dog just like that tawny one that dragged itself
behind the hedge of bushes.

The strange part of it was--the thing that frightened Rose most--was
that the animal seemed trying to hide from her. And yet she felt that it
must be dangerous, for it was big and had long legs. She was quite right
in supposing that if she had undertaken to run, under ordinary
circumstances, the animal could have overtaken her.

But Rose's ankle throbbed and ached, and she cried out whenever she
rested that foot upon the ground. She just couldn't run! So she began
cajoling the supposed dog, hoping that it was not as savage as she
really feared it was. One thing, it did not growl as bad dogs often did,
as Rose Bunker very well knew.

"Come, doggy! Nice doggy!" she cooed. And then she was suddenly afraid
that it really would come! If it had leaped up and started toward Rose
the little girl would have fallen right down--she knew she would!

But the yellow-looking creatur