ence of his own' eyes--it was even stranger to drive a
train of mad dogs. Yet that was what Rea and he did, and lashed them,
beat them to cover many miles in the long day's journey. Rabies had
broken out in several dogs so alarmingly that Jones had to kill them at
the end of the run. And hardly had the sound of the shots died when
faint and far away, but clear as a bell, bayed on the wind the same
haunting mourn of a trailing wolf.

"Ho! Ho! where are the wolves?" cried Rea.

A waiting, watching, sleepless night followed. Again the hunters faced
the south. Hour after hour, riding, running, walking, they urged the
poor, jaded, poisoned dogs. At dark they reached the head of Artillery
Lake. Rea placed the tepee between two huge stones. Then the hungry
hunters, tired, grim, silent, desperate, awaited the familiar cry.

It came on the cold wind, the same haunting mourn, dreadful in its
significance.

Absence of fire inspirited the wary wolves. Out of the pale gloom gaunt
white forms emerged, agile and stealthy, slipping on velvet-padded
feet, closer, closer, closer. The dogs wailed in terror.

"Into the tepee!" yelled Rea.

Jones plunged in after his comrade. The despairing howls of the dogs,
drowned in more savage, frightful sounds, knelled one tragedy and
foreboded a more terrible one. Jones looked out to see a white mass,
like leaping waves of a rapid.

"Pump lead into thet!" cried Rea.

Rapidly Jones emptied his rifle into the white fray. The mass split;
gaunt wolves leaped high to fall back dead; others wriggled and limped
away; others dragged their hind quarters; others darted at the tepee.

"No more cartridges!" yelled Jones.

The giant grabbed the ax, and barred the door of the tepee. Crash! the
heavy iron cleaved the skull of the first brute. Crash! it lamed the
second. Then Rea stood in the narrow passage between the rocks, waiting
with uplifted ax. A shaggy, white demon, snapping his jaws, sprang like
a dog. A sodden, thudding blow met him and he slunk away without a cry.
Another rabid beast launched his white body at the giant. Like a flash
the ax descended. In agony the wolf fell, to spin round and round,
running on his hind legs, while his head and shoulders and forelegs
remained in the snow. His back was broken.

Jones crouched in the opening of the tepee, knife in hand. He doubted
his senses. This was a nightmare. He saw two wolves leap at once. He
heard the crash of the ax; he saw one wolf go d