Part 6 (2/2)

Whoever it was, he had no gun, or there would have been shooting before this Dave saw that he ry at this new delay Cursing the wolves, and the Indian who didn't know enough to take care of himself, Dave stole back to his covert behind the heer interested, but aggrieved

The wolves were now sitting on their haunches around the hut door

Their unusual behaviour convinced hietting around the fact that he was in for a fight

He only hoped that the chap inside was soood, and would have ”soently lowered the bundle from his back, and threw off his thick coat to allow his arms freer play

It was at this moment that the leader of the pack made up his mind to crawl into the hut

As the wolf's head entered the low opening, Dave gripped his axe, thrust aside the he He did not shout, for he wanted to take his enemies, as far as possible, unawares He had but a score of yards to go So intent were they upon their leader's movements that Dave was al Then they looked around

Three shrank back, startled at the tall and threatening shape But two sprang at his throat with snapping jaws The first met the full sweep of his axe, in the chest and dropped in a heap The second dodged a short blow and warily drew back again Then, from within the darkness of the hut, came those screams of the madness of terror

For one beat Dave's heart stopped He knew the voice!

The big as just backing out He turned, jerking hi over hi his haunches across, and he stretched out, working his great jaws convulsively Dave saw that the jaws had no blood upon them, and his own blood returned to his heart

He had come in time The screams within the hut died into piteous sobs

Across Dave's ony of horror that Lidey had been suffering since first those howlings fell upon his ears His heart-break transforeance As he turned, with a hoarse shout, upon the rest of the pack, he felt a hot breath on his neck, and bare fangs snapped savagely within an inch of his throat His assailant sprang back in time to escape the deadly sweep of the axe, but at the saht a glancing blohich drove hi But the other tere so close that there was no time for Dave to recover Instinctively he jabbed a short back-stroke with the end of the axe-handle, and caught one of his assailants in the belly

Sickened, and daunted by this unexpected form of reprisal, the brute hunched itself with a startled yelp and ran off with its tail between its legs At the saht the other wolf fairly by the throat The gripping hand was a kind of weapon that the beast had never learned to guard against, and it was taken at a disadvantage With a grunt of fury and of effort Dave closed his grip inexorably, braced hi it clear around his head, he let go The anih the air, and came down on its back ten feet away When it landed, there was no ht left in it Before Dave could reach it with his axe it was up and away in a panic after its two re heavily fro in his breast, Dave turned to the hut door and called--

”Lidey! Lidey! Are you there?”

”Popsie! Oh, popsie, _dear!_ I thought you weren't goin' to co little voice And the child crept out into theher eyes in his neck as he crushed her to his heart, ”they were goin' to eat ht you wouldn't ever come!”

IV

With the bundle on his back and Lidey in his arotten His first anxiety about his as somewhat eased when he learned that Lidey had left her asleep; for he remembered that a heavy sleep always marked the end of one of her attacks He only hoped that the sleep would hold her until they got hoht of her terror if she should wake and find Lidey gone As they ca, and saw that all was quiet in the cabin, Dave said--

”We won't tell ht, sweetie, eh?

It 'ld jest git her all worked up, an' she couldn't stand it when she's sick We won't say nothin' about that till to-morrow!”

”Yes!” murmured Lidey, ”she'd be awful scairt!”

They were then about halfway up the slope, when frohtened cry of ”Lidey! Lidey!” The door was flung open, the laht, and Mrs

Patton appeared Her face hite with fear As she saw Dave and the little one hurrying towards her, both hands went to her heart in the extremity of her relief, and she sank back into a chair before the door