I'm right about that wolf, Henry. I kin see it in his eye, an' them
behind him are nigh ez bad. They wuz all saber-toothed tigers in thar
time. I reckon that in thar wolf souls or tiger souls, whichever they
be, they expect to eat us afore day. I'd like pow'ful well to put a
bullet atween the eyes o' thar king--jest ez you said you would, Henry."

"But it's not to be thought of. Sound would travel far on a still night
like this, and the warriors might be within hearing. It's hard on the
nerves, but we've got to stand it."

They hoped that the wolves would drop the trail soon, but their wish
did not come true. However they twisted and turned, whether they went
slow or fast, the sinister pack was always there, the king wolf a foot
or so in advance, like the point to the head of an arrow. Often the
flickering shadows exaggerated him to twice his usual size, and then in
truth he suggested his saber-toothed predecessor of long, long ago.

"This is becomin' pow'ful w'arin' to the nerves, Henry," said the
shiftless one. "I'd ruther hev a clean fight with a half-dozen warriors
than be follered this way. It teches my pride. I've got a mighty lot o'
pride, an' it hurts me awful to hev my pride hurt."

"Because we don't shoot or do anything I think they've assumed that
we're powerless to fight. Still, there is something about the human odor
that deters 'em."

"S'pose you're right, but I'm goin' to try a trick. When you see me
stumble, Henry, you go right on, till I'm eight or ten feet behind you."

"All right, Sol, but don't stumble too much."

"I ain't likely to do it at sech a time. Look out, now! Here I stumble!"

He caught his foot in a root, plunged forward, almost fell, recovered
his balance slowly and with apparent difficulty. Henry ran on, but in a
half minute he turned quickly. With a horrible snarl and yelp the king
wolf sprang, and the others behind him sprang also. Henry's rifle leaped
to his shoulder, and then the king wolf jumped away, the others
following him.

The shiftless one rejoined Henry and they ran a little faster. His face
was pale and one or two drops of perspiration fell from it. His breath
was longer than mere flight would make it.

"I ain't goin' to try that ag'in, Henry," he said. "No more foolin' with
sudden death. He's shorely the big tiger, the biggest o' them all that
wuz. Why, when I stumbled he leaped like lightnin'. I didn't think
anythin', not even a wolf, could be so quick."

"The