Wolf is about the fiercest brute in the
world to tackle, next to the Tasmanian Devil; an' I had one o' them
pretty near beat in Auckland, till he went an' died on me. Tame
this Giant Irishman--you bet your sweet life I will; an' have him
cavortin' through a hoop inside of a month--or maybe a week--if I'm
not kept busy wastin' my time over groom's work."

"Right-ho, Professor!" said the boss, good-humouredly. "You shall
have a groom of your own, right here an' now. I'll promote Sam to
the job, with half-a-dollar rise. I'll find a feller in the town
here for your job, Sam. Enterprise goes with me every time, an'
brings its own reward--sure thing. But I'd like to be on hand when
you tackle the Giant Wolf, Professor. You might want help."

"Help! Me want help! You wait here two minutes, boss, an' I'll show
you."

The boss grinned over the success of his tactics in rousing the
Professor's pride, and strolled round among the horses for five
minutes or so till the tamer returned with Sam, carrying a brazier
full of live coals, and an iron rod with a rough leather
handle at one end of it. The other end of the iron rod was buried
among the live coals. At sight of it the Killer crouched down in
the far corner of his cage with a snarling whine, half covering his
face with his huge paws.

"Now I'll show you how much help I need in taming, boss," said the
Professor.

Grasping the leather handle of his now red-hot rod, the Professor
deftly opened the gate of Finn's cage, far enough to admit of his
own swift entrance; the gate being instantly slammed to behind him
by Sam, and bolted. Finn was lying crouched in the far corner of
the cage, and if the light there had been good, the tamer would
surely have seen by the expression on the Wolfhound's intelligent
face that he was no wild beast. On the other hand, froth still
clung to Finn's jaws, the hair on his shoulders was still more or
less erect, and a few minutes before this time he had been raging
like a whirlwind.

For a moment or two the Professor glared steadily at Finn. He
undoubtedly had pluck, seeing that he believed the Wolfhound to be
as ferocious and deadly a beast as any tiger. Then, slowly, Finn
rose from his crouching position, prepared to come forward and to
treat his visitor as a friend, even as a possible rescuer from that
place of horrid durance. The Professor's plan was all mapped out in
his mind, and he did not waver in its execution. Had he been given
to wa