ire, and to the
other Indians not to fire until all were ready. Jalap Coombs seized an
axe, and forgetful of the bitter cold, was rolling up his sleeves, as
though he proposed to fight the wolves single-handed. At the same time
he denounced them as pirates and bloody land-sharks, and dared them to
come within his reach.

"Are you ready?" cried Serge. "Then fire!" And with a roar that woke
the forest echoes for miles, the four guns poured their contents into
the dense black mass, that seemed just ready to hurl itself for a second
time upon the camp.

With frightful howlings the pack scattered, and began to gallop swiftly
in a wide circle about the fire-lit space. One huge brute, frenzied with
rage, leaped directly toward the camp, with gleaming eyes and frothing
mouth. Ere a gun could be levelled, Jalap Coombs stepped forward to meet
him, and with a mighty swinging blow his heavy axe crushed the skull of
the on-coming beast as though it had been an egg-shell. Instantly the
dogs were upon him, and tearing fiercely at their fallen enemy.

With the first shot Phil's nervousness vanished, and as coolly as Serge
himself, he followed with levelled rifle the movements of the yelling
pack in their swift circling. At each patch of moonlit space one or more
of the fierce brutes fell before his unerring fire, until every shot of
his magazine was exhausted.

[Illustration: "NOW," CRIED SERGE, "ALL MAKE A DASH TOGETHER!"]

"Now," cried Serge, "we must scatter them. Every man take a firebrand in
each hand, and all make a dash together."

"Yelling," added Jalap Coombs.

"Yes, yelling louder than the wolves themselves."

The plan was no sooner proposed than adopted. Musky, Luvtuk, big Amook,
and the rest, inspired by their master's courage, joined in the assault,
and before that fire-bearing, yelling, on-rushing line of humanity and
dogs the gaunt forest raiders gave way and fled in all directions.

The whole battle had not lasted more than five minutes, but it resulted
in the death of nineteen wolves, six of which were despatched by the
sailor-man's terrible axe after the fight was over, and they, more or
less wounded, were slinking away toward places of hiding. But the dogs
found them out, and they met a swift fate at the hands of Jalap Coombs.

As he finally re-entered the camp, dragging the last one behind him, he
remarked, with a chuckle: "Waal, boys, I ruther guess our boat's 'high
line' this time, and I'm free to admit