at of the promontory, or some spot very
near it.

Seven times he heard the cry, each time clearer than before: then there
was a long silence, disturbed by not a single sound. Through the
breathless stillness, Dusty Star continued his secret advance. By the
last howl he guessed that he must be drawing very near to his goal; yet
that very nearness made it necessary for him to use the greatest caution
in order not to give Kiopo the alarm. Soon he saw a huge mass of rocks
loom blackly between him and the rising moon.

He did not dare to attempt to climb its almost perpendicular sides; but,
skirting the base of it, worked his way up the mountain slope so that he
might reach it from above. He arrived at last at the beginning of the
promontory, and, lying flat on his stomach, looked about him. On all
sides, the rocks took strange appearances, like humped beasts, crouched,
and watching. Yet nothing stirred, nothing breathed. Of Kiopo there was
not a sign. In front of him, a large boulder hid the end of the
promontory from sight. Dusty Star worked himself slowly round it, foot
by foot. When he was half-way round, he stopped; for there, at the
extreme end of the rocks, with his back towards him, he saw Kiopo
sitting motionless, as he gazed out into the enormous night. Then, he
saw him throw up his head; and again the long, throbbing howl made the
gorges ring.

Dusty Star had heard howling many times before. Since his earliest
infancy, the throats of wolf, fox and coyote had haunted his ears like
nursery song-books with ancient, terrible tunes. But to-night, the tune
seemed to gather a new terror, and made his pulses throb. His first
impulse was to call to Kiopo so that he might not do it again. Only this
was one of those times when, in spite of the intimate comradeship which
bound them together, he stood a little in awe of that mysterious
wolf-mind which was in Kiopo, and which seemed to understand the stars.
In the breathless stillness which followed the cry, Dusty Star listened
to the quickened beating of his own heart.

Once again, Kiopo howled. This time, he was answered. From the hollow
gloom of the forest below there came a deep-toned "woof" that was half a
roar.

Dusty Star saw Kiopo immediately stiffen into attention, as he turned
his head in the direction of the threatening sound. Owing to his
position he could not see what the wolf saw, but Kiopo's attitude told
him that he was watching something that had come int