down.

When the Yellow Dogs heard Double Runner's news, they put their heads
together in a great Pow-wow. If it were true what rumour and Double
Runner said, that Dusty Star and his wolf had a strong medicine, it
would be a splendid thing if they could capture or kill them, and get
the medicine for themselves. And even if they failed in that, at least
Dusty Star belonged to their ancient enemies, and it would be one more
Comanache out of the way.

Now many moons before, a band of Yellow Dogs had gone into the West, and
settled down by the river that flowed out of the Chetawa lake. If Double
Runner could find their camp and carry his news, it might happen that
they could put him in the way of finding a trail. And if Double Runner
found a trail, many buffalo robes and ponies would be his on his return.

So that was how it came about that, one shining morning, in the Moon of
Roses, Double Runner disappeared into the West.

At the foot of a great boulder, high up on Carboona, Baltook, the Silver
Fox, had his den. It was a wonderful look-out place from which to
observe the world, and Baltook was a first-class observer. What his
piercing eyes didn't see, or his sharp ears detect, was caught by the
amazing keenness of his nose. When the forest people glided softly from
the good green gloom of the trees, Baltook marked them the moment they
appeared. Below the level of his den went the runways of half the lower
world. Deer, badger, mink, hare, opossum, took their ways delicately
along the trails, and, all unconsciously to themselves, were instantly
noted by Baltook's gleaming eyes. But whatever fine housings of hair or
fur they wore, they paled before the splendour of Baltook in his
wonderful black robe powdered with silver hairs.

No other fox on all Carboona had such a coat as he. Even in shadow it
was beautiful; and when the fine machinery of his muscles moved beneath
it in the sun, it rippled silver lights. And Baltook was as splendid as
his coat. Certainly, his mate, Boola; the Cunning One, was convinced
that he was lord of all the foxes; and as for the cubs, _they_ would
have been equally convinced, if it had not been for a drawback which
they couldn't help, and that was, they were too young to have any views
about it at all. Besides, up to the present, they had had to do chiefly
with their mother, and it was only recently that their father had
appeared to be a person of great importance as the bringer of choice
food,