ortal enemy, one who
would not merely attempt to deprive him of his mate during the running
moon as would any other unattached dog wolf, but one whose enmity was
for the individual and who had marked him for the slaughter when next
they met, regardless of time or season.

CHAPTER V

The number of coyotes in Collins' territory had been cut down by half
and only the wisest were left. As they grew more trap-wise the wolfer
increased the cunning of his sets. Clearly marked cow trails crossed
through every low saddle in the foothills and Collins studded these with
traps. After once his scent was cold the coyotes had nothing to warn
them of these sets, but trail trapping is largely chance and not
productive of great results.

Breed saw one coyote in a trail trap and he forswore the following of
cow trails. The coyotes soon learned to avoid them. Collins noted the
absence of coyote tracks on trails that had once been padded thick with
them and the wolfer chuckled over this evidence of their
resourcefulness.

Some of Breed's pack had fallen victims to the trap line but their
places had been filled by new recruits, every one trap-wise to the last
degree. But even these found it increasingly difficult to retain their
lives.

A new menace hovered over every coyote that ranged near the foot of the
Hardpan Spur, a menace that filled the hardiest prairie wolf with dread.
Many a lone coyote was suddenly startled by a huge shape that leaped for
him and bore him down. None thus attacked lived to spread the warning
and the only knowledge the others had of the lurking fiend was the
finding of old friends, stiff and dead, their throats gashed open by
savage teeth. The tracks and scent round these murder spots identified
the slayer.

Flatear spent his days high in the hills and at night he dropped to the
low country to perpetrate his unnatural crimes. Coyotes had violated the
customs of centuries and turned their teeth against him. He now wreaked
vengeance for this affront. There were no wolves to answer his call, so
Flatear no longer howled, but prowled the range without a sound to warn
prospective victims, a silent assassin that struck without notice.

At the end of a week he had left a long trail of victims behind but not
one of Breed's pack was among them. Those that had pack-hunted with the
yellow wolf and learned the advantages of combined attack in killing
heavy game now put that same knowledge to good use for their