Part 8 (1/2)
Run, lads, and get to the door! I'll stop and help hold theet in!”
But Bobby and Jimht of the shadowed forest the three fired into the face of the pack until their rifles were empty Whether or not any of the animals fell they could not see, but the pack paused for a ed them, and as the three reached the cabin door yelps and snarls told of the clash as the dogs met their wild kin of the hills in battle
”Thank God!” again breathed Skipper Ed when the three, panting for breath, were safe in the cabin, a ood stout door between the and snarling around the cabin ”I never saw such a pack of wolves before I never knew that they gathered in such numbers in these days There must be at least thirty of theo a pack of upwards of thirty of these great northern wolves appeared a few miles to the southward of this point One of my friends was driven to the shelter of his cabin to escape thes! Partner, ill becos?” exclais!”
”I'hted a laazine of his rifle ”Load up, partner Load up, Bobby We'll see e can do from cover”
”We must have killed some of them!” Bobby exclaimed excitedly ”I know I did! I saw three fall e shot!”
”Yes, of course we did,” agreed Skipper Ed, ”but there are enough of the athree or four inches ”You should get soood shots from here I'll try my luck from the shed door”
They had turned the la on out of doors The wolves, baffled by the sudden disappearance of their quarry, were ranged a little distance from the porch door, save two or three of the bolder ones, which were sniffing at the door itself
The dogs were nowhere to be seen
”Look out!” called Bobby to Skipper Ed, as about to open the porch door ”Soan shooting The wolves at the door fell, and Skipper Ed, opening the door a little way, joined in a fusillade at the ether with the flashes of fire from an unseen source, struck panic to the heart of the pack A slightly wounded one turned and ran That was a signal for panic, as is the way of men and beasts, and the whole pack followed in a mad, wild rush to the cover of the woods
An instant and the last of the pack had faded into the shadows a and liain, and one or two of the wounded, which hining, like whipped dogs, and the clearing about the cabin was as deserted as ever it was
”I'll go out,” said Skipper Ed, ”and end the suffering of those wounded brutes Build up the fire, partner, and put the kettle on, and we'll have son of what's left of the pack returning, we'll haul the carcasses into the shed, where we can skin the, cheerful fire in the stove when Skipper Ed returned a few minutes later to report that twelve wolves lay dead outside
”There must be some more dohere we shot them at first,” said he, as he drew off his _adikey_, ”and soot aounded, no doubt At any rate we've cut the pack down so far in nuer”
”What'll they do now?” asked Bobby, as the three settled into their easy chairs to wait for the kettle to boil
”Go and look for caribou, and attend to their business, I suppose, and leave us quiet, peaceable folk alone,” he laughed, adding: ”I never saw such a pack before, though I've heard soo it used to happen now and again that packs like this appeared
Wolves are cowardly beasts, but nuether, you have to look out for therows to a dozen they'll attack openly, and aren't afraid of anything--not even man”
”Well, anye had the adventure we started out to get,” laughed Bobby, ”and a little more of it than we expected”
”Yes, and a nice haul of wolf pelts to boot,” added Skipper Ed
”We were lucky they didn't get us,” said Jireed Skipper Ed, ”lucky--the kind of luck ere talking about tonight That is, the luck of the Alhty's bounty and protection We did the best we could, according to our lights, to protect and help ourselves, and so He helped, and brought us safely back, none the worse, and perhaps a little the stronger and better and richer in experience than ere an hour ago”
”It was a corking good adventure, anyhow!” broke in Bobby ”That sort of thing just et out of a rown up It was great fun--now that it's over”
”You're a natural-born adventurer,” laughed Skipper Ed ”You should have lived in the old days, when ht for their life, or went out to find and conquer new lands”
”Well, I'lad it's over,” Jione I didn't have time to feel ht have happened I don't like to get into such fixes”