you know when he leaves the willows?"

Whistling Dan was puzzled.

"I dunno," he answered. "Somethin' will tell me when he gets far away
from me--he an' his men."

"It's an inner sense, eh? Like the smell of the bloodhound?" said
Calder, but his eyes were strangely serious.

"This day's about done," he went on. "Have you any objections to me
camping with you here?"

Not a cowpuncher within five hundred miles but would be glad of such
redoubted company. They went back to Calder's horse.

"We can start for my clearing," said Dan. "Bart'll bring the hoss.
Fetch him in."

The wolf took the dangling bridle reins and led on the cowpony. Calder
observed his performance with starting eyes, but he was averse to
asking questions. In a few moments they came out on a small open
space. The ground was covered with a quantity of dried bunch grass
which a glorious black stallion was cropping. Now he tossed up his
head so that some of his long mane fell forward between his ears and
at sight of Calder his ears dropped back and his eyes blazed, but when
Dan stepped from the willows the ears came forward again with a
whinny of greeting. Calder watched the beautiful animal with all the
enthusiasm of an expert horseman. Satan was untethered; the saddle and
bridle lay in a corner of the clearing; evidently the horse was a pet
and would not leave its master. He spoke gently and stepped forward to
caress the velvet shining neck, but Satan snorted and started away,
trembling with excitement.

"How can you keep such a wild fellow as this without hobbling him?"
asked Calder.

"He ain't wild," said Dan.

"Why, he won't let me put a hand on him."

"Yes, he will. Steady, Satan!"

The stallion stood motionless with the veritable fires of hell in his
eyes as Calder approached. The latter stopped.

"Not for me," he said. "I'd rather rub the moustache of the lion in
the zoo than touch that black devil!"

Bart at that moment led in the cowpony and Calder started to remove
the saddle. He had scarcely done so and hobbled his horse when he was
startled by a tremendous snarling and snorting. He turned to see the
stallion plunging hither and thither, striking with his fore-hooves,
while around him, darting in and out under the driving feet, sprang
the great black wolf, his teeth clashing like steel on steel. In
another moment they might sink in the throat of the horse! Calder,
with an exclamation of horror, whipped out his revolver, but che