snow outside, and then the dog tumbled back through the
window with one of the wolves, and they rolled over and over together
on the floor.

I got to the window just as a second wolf started to come through the
broken pane. I struck him full on the head with the axe, and he sank
down dead, half outside and half inside. The others that pressed
behind stopped as they saw his fate and stood watching the struggle on
the floor through the window.

Kaiser was making a good fight, but the wolf was too much for him, and
soon the dog was on his back with the wolf's jaws at his throat. This
was more than I could stand, and I turned and struck at the animal
with my axe. I missed him, but he let go his hold, snapped at the axe,
and when I started to strike again he turned and jumped through the
window over his dead companion and joined the howling pack on the
snow-drift in front of the house.

I seized the gun again and rested it across the dead wolf, firing full
at the impudent rascal who had come in and made Kaiser so much
trouble. It was a good shot, and the wolf went down in the snow. I
pumped up another cartridge, but the wolves saw that they were beaten,
and the whole pack turned tail and ran off as fast as their legs could
carry them. I took two more shots, but missed both. The wolves went
around Frenchman's Butte, never once stopping their howling.

As soon as they were out of sight I had a look at Kaiser. I found him
all blood from a wound in his neck, and one of his fore legs was so
badly crippled that the poor beast could not bear his weight on it. I
got some warm water and washed him off and bound up his throat. When
I was done I heard a strange yowl, and, looking about, spied Pawsy
clinging on top of the casing of the door which led into the
dining-room, with her tail as big as a bed-bolster. I suppose she had
gone up early in the wolf-fight, not liking such proceedings. She was
still in the greatest state of fright, and spat and scratched at me as
I took her down.

I next swept up the dog and wolf fur and cleaned the floor, and after
I had got the place set to rights nailed a board over the broken
window and carried the three dead wolves into the kitchen, where,
after supper, I skinned them, hoping that some day their hides would
go into the making of a fur overcoat for me; something which I
needed.

[Illustration: MAP OF TRACK'S END]

I don't know if it was the excitement of the fight, or the awful
stillnes