once more that choking drag
on his neck! Of necessity, because his head was pulled in the direction
of the rope, he saw where the rope disappeared in the water. But there
was no Miki. The pup was down too far for Neewa to see. With the drag
growing heavier and heavier--for here there was not much current to
help Miki along--Neewa hung on like grim death. If he had let go, and
had joined Miki in the water, the good fortune which was turning their
way would have been missed. For Miki, struggling well under water, was
serving both as an anchor and a rudder; slowly the log shifted its
course, was caught in a beach-eddy, and drifted in close to a muddy
bank.

With one wild leap Neewa was ashore. Feeling the earth under his feet
he started to run, and the result was that Miki came up slowly through
the mire and spread himself out like an overgrown crustacean while he
got the wind back into his lungs. Neewa, sensing the fact that for a
few moments his comrade was physically unfit for travel, shook himself,
and waited. Miki picked up quickly. Within five minutes he was on his
feet shaking himself so furiously that Neewa became the centre of a
shower of mud and water.

Had they remained where they were, Challoner would have found them an
hour or so later, for he paddled that way, close inshore, looking for
their bodies. It may be that the countless generations of instinct back
of Neewa warned him of that possibility, for within a quarter of an
hour after they had landed he was leading the way into the forest, and
Miki was following. It was a new adventure for the pup.

But Neewa began to recover his good cheer. For him the forest was home
even if his mother was missing. After his maddening experiences with
Miki and the man-beast the velvety touch of the soft pine-needles under
his feet and the familiar smells of the silent places filled him with a
growing joy. He was back in his old trails. He sniffed the air and
pricked up his ears, thrilled by the enlivening sensations of knowing
that he was once more the small master of his own destiny. It was a new
forest, but Neewa was undisturbed by this fact. All forests were alike
to him, inasmuch as several hundred thousand square miles were included
in his domain and it was impossible for him to landmark them all.

With Miki it was different. He not only began to miss Challoner and the
river, but became more and more disturbed the farther Neewa led him
into the dark and mysterious