Part 9 (1/2)

”There appears to be a large pack,” answered Basil, still looking through the glass; ”fifty at least--See! they have separated one of the bucks fro this way!”

Basil's companions had noticed this as soon as hiuns The wapiti was plainly couish the wolves following upon his heels, strung out over the prairie like a pack of hounds When first started, the buck was a full half-mile distant, but in less than aforward until the boys could see his sparkling eyes and the play of his proud flanks He was a noble anirown, but still ”in the velvet,” and as he ran with his snout thrown forward, his antlers lay along both sides of his neck until their tips touched his shoulders

He continued on in a direct line until he ithin less than an hundred paces of the caures crouching around it, he swerved suddenly from his course, and darted into the thicket of here he was for the moment hidden from view The wolves--fifty of them at least--had followed him up to this point; and as he entered the thicket several had been close upon his heels The boys expected to see the wolves rush in after hi so--but, to the astonishment of all, the latter ca back--so off as if terrified!

At first the hunters attributed this strange conduct to their own presence, and the smoke of the camp; but a moment's reflection convinced them that this could not be the reason of it, as they were all well acquainted with the nature of the prairie wolf, and had never witnessed a similar exhibition before

They had no time to think of the wolves just then The buck was theto each other to surround the thicket, all four started in different directions In a couple of minutes they had placed themselves at nearly equal distances around the copse, and stood watching eagerly for the reappearance of the wapiti

The s covered about an acre of ground, but they were tolerably think and full-leaved, and the buck could not be seen from any side

Wherever he was, he was evidently at a stand-still, for not a rustle could be heard a the leaves, nor were any of the tall stalks seen to o was now sent in This would soon start hiuns cocked and ready But before the dog had ths of himself into the thicket, a loud snort was heard, followed by a struggle and the sta of hoofs, and the next h the bushes A shot was fired--it was the crack of Lucien's s onward and outward All ran round to the side he had taken, and had a full view of the ani free as before, he now leaped heavily forward, and as their astonish that he _carried another animal upon his back_!

[Illustration: THE WAPITI AND THE WOLVERENE]

The hunters could hardly believe their eyes, but there it was, sure enough, a brown shaggythe shoulders of the wapiti, and clutching it with large spreading claws Francois cried out, ”A panther!” and Basil at first believed it to be a bear, but it was hardly large enough for that Norman, however, who had lived more in those parts where the animal is found, knew it at once to be the dreaded ”wolverene” Its head could not be seen, as that was hid behind the shoulder of the wapiti, whose throat it was engaged in tearing But its short legs and broad paws, its bushy tail and long shaggy hair, together with its round-arching back and dark-brown colour, were all fa fur-trader; and he at once pronounced it a ”wolverene”

When first seen, both it and the wapiti were beyond the reach of their rifles; and the hunters, surprised by such an unexpected apparition, had suddenly halted Francois and Basil were about to renew the pursuit, but were prevented by Norman, who counselled theo far,” said he; ”let us watch them a bit See! the buck takes the water!”

The wapiti, on leaving the s, had run straight out in the first direction that offered, which happened to be in a line parallel with the edge of the lake His eye, however, soon caught sight of the water, and, doubling suddenly round, he made directly towards it, evidently with the intention of plunging in He had hopes, no doubt, that by this ht rid hi to his shoulders, and tearing his throat to pieces

A few bounds brought him to the shore There was no beach at the spot

The bank--a liht of eight feet, and the lake under it was several fatho outward and doards A heavy plash followed, and for some seconds both wapiti and wolverene were lost under the water They rose to the surface, just as the boys reached the bank, but they came up _separately_ The dip had proved a cooler to the fierce wolverene; and while the wapiti was seen to strike boldly out into the lake and swi about cluet back to the shore

Their position upon the cliff above gave the hunters an excellent opportunity with their rifles, and both Basil and Norman sent their bullets into the wolverene's back Francois also eun at the say brute sank dead to the bottoht of firing at the buck This persecution by so many enemies had won for hio free, but the prospect of fresh venison for supper overcame their commiseration, and thethe deer

Their guns were reloaded, and, scattering along the shore, they prepared to await his return But the buck, seeing there was nothing but death in his rear, swa almost in a direct line out into the lake It was evident to all that he could not swim across the lake, as its farther shore was not even visible Hethis to be his only alternative, they stood still and watched his ot about half-a-mile from the shore, to the surprise of all, he was seen to rise higher and higher above the surface, and then all at once stop, with half of his body clear out of the water! He had coe of it, seemed determined to remain there

Basil and Norman ran to the canoe, and in a few h the water The buck no that it was likely to be all up with hi to swim farther, he faced round, and set his antlers forward in a threatening attitude But his pursuers did not give him the chance to make a rush

When within fifty yards or so, Norman, who used the paddles, stopped and steadied the canoe, and the next moment the crack of Basil's rifle echoed over the lake, and the wapiti fell upon the water, where, after struggling a moment, he lay dead

The canoe was paddled up, and his antlers being made fast to the stern, he was towed back to the shore, and carried into ca that the wapiti had been wounded before encountering either the wolves, wolverene, or themselves

An arrow-head, with a short piece of the shaft, was sticking in one of his thighs The Indians, then, had been after him, and very lately too, as the wound showed It was not a mortal wound, had the arrow-head been removed; but of course, as it was, it would have proved his death in the long run This explained why the wolves had assailed an anith, would have defied thee as the wapiti; but the latter had, no doubt, chanced upon the lair of his fierce eneetting a meal The wolves had seen the wolverene as they approached the thicket, and that accounted for their strange behaviour in the pursuit These creatures are as great cowards as they are tyrants, and their dread of a wolverene is equal to that hich they themselves often inspire the wounded deer