Shady's protracted absence he forgot the danger of following cow trails
and padded restlessly up and down those which threaded through the gap.
And as he waited for her a mortal enemy found the chance he had sought
so long and began stalking him from behind.

Flatear dropped from the hills to follow his ruthless trade and as he
swung down the funnel basin Breed's scent was wafted to his nose. The
breeze held up the slope,--he had the wind on the yellow wolf. He
shifted across the wind but it carried no coyote scent. His victim was
alone. Flatear followed up the drifting current of scent and sighted
Breed at a hundred yards. His feet made no sound and the wind held
right; the breed-wolf was unaware of his approach.

Breed saw a sudden flow of light from the cabin and knew that Shady was
leaving it to come back to him. He sent forth the rally call to the pack
and turned to trot along a cow trail. He gave a sudden mighty leap into
the air and crashed down four feet away as he struck the end of the
chain swiveled to the trap that had crushed his foot.

CHAPTER VII

Breed's great paw had not squarely centered the trap and the jaws
clamped on but two toes. He fought the trap with all his strength,
backing up to gain slack in the chain, then throwing all his weight and
force into his spring as he launched himself into the air, only to be
jerked violently to the ground at the end of the chain.

Four times he sprang, and four times the breath was almost jarred from
his body as he smashed down on his side. As he rose from the last spring
he suddenly stiffened, standing rigidly in one spot while every hair
rose along his spine. Twenty feet away a great gray shape loomed in the
sage. Breed knew it was the midnight killer who had left such sinister
evidence of his handiwork scattered along the foot of the hills,--and
there was no doubt of his purpose. The yellow wolf was handicapped and
knew that he had no chance, but he did not storm and rage aloud as a dog
would have done; his was the coyote way. He backed up inch by inch till
he stood above the trap stake, and this move gave him a four-foot
striking range each way.

Flatear did not fear traps with the full knowledge of their powers and
limitations as the coyotes did, but with the superstitious dread of the
wolf. In common with all his kind he had merely avoided instead of
investigating this danger, and now his understanding could not
distinguish between a trap that