th nervous fingers to set the Wolf loose, and soon would succeed.
Indeed, it would have been done already but for the strain that the
Wolf kept on the chain.

The thought of being in the yard at the mercy of the huge animal that
he had so enraged, gave the brave Paul a thrill of terror.

Jim's wheedling voice was heard--"Hold on now, Wolfie; back up just a
little, and you shall have him. Now do; there's a good Wolfie"--that
was enough; the Fiddler fled and carefully closed all doors behind him.

Thus the friendship between Jim and his pet grew stronger, and the
Wolf, as he developed his splendid natural powers, gave daily evidence
also of the mortal hatred he bore to men that smelt of whiskey and to
all Dogs, the causes of his sufferings. This peculiarity, coupled with
his love for the child--and all children seemed to be included to some
extent--grew with his growth and seemed to prove the ruling force of
his life.

III

At this time--that is, the fall of 1881--there were great complaints
among the Qu'Appelle ranchmen that the Wolves were increasing in their
country and committing great depredations among the stock. Poisoning
and trapping had proved failures, and when a distinguished German
visitor appeared at the Club in Winnipeg and announced that he was
bringing some Dogs that could easily rid the country of Wolves, he was
listened to with unusual interest. For the cattle-men are fond of
sport, and the idea of helping their business by establishing a kennel
of Wolfhounds was very alluring.

The German soon produced as samples of his Dogs, two magnificent Danes,
one white, the other blue with black spots and a singular white eye
that completed an expression of unusual ferocity. Each of these great
creatures weighed nearly two hundred pounds. They were muscled like
Tigers, and the German was readily believed when he claimed that these
two alone were more than a match for the biggest Wolf. He thus
described their method of hunting: "All you have to do is show them the
trail and, even if it is a day old, away they go on it. They cannot be
shaken off. They will soon find that Wolf, no matter how he doubles and
hides. Then they close on him. He turns to run, the blue Dog takes him
by the haunch and throws him like this," and the German jerked a roll
of bread into the air; "then before he touches the ground the white Dog
has his head, the other his tail, and they pull him apart like that."

It sounded all right;