eir weight. The
men looked at them and uttered approving words.

"What did you do with the Panther and Obed?" asked Fields.

"The last I saw of them they had been dismounted and were being chased
over the plain by two big bull buffaloes. The horns of the buffaloes
were then not more than a foot from the seats of their trousers. So I
caught their horses, and I have brought them back to camp."

"I take it," said Fields, "that you've had good luck."

"We have had the finest of luck," replied Ned. "We ran into a group of
fifteen or twenty buffaloes, and we brought down two fine, young cows. I
came back for two more men to help with them, and on my way I shot these
turkeys."

Fields and another man named Carter returned with Ned. Young Allen was
extremely anxious to go, but the others were chosen on account of their
experience with the work. They found that Obed and the Panther had
already done the most of it, and when it was all finished Fields and
Carter started back with the three horses, heavily laden. As the night
promised to be mild, and the snow was gone, Ned, Obed and the Panther
remained in the grove with the rest of their food supply.

They also wished to preserve the two buffalo robes, and they staked them
out upon the ground, scraping them clean of flesh with their knives.
Then they lighted a fire and cooked as much of the tender meat as they
wished. By this time it was dark and they were quite ready to rest. They
put out the fire and raked up the beds of leaves on which they would
spread their blankets. But first they enjoyed the relaxation of the
nerves and the easy talk that come after a day's work well done.

"It certainly has been a fine day for us," said Obed. "Sometimes I like
to go through the bad days, because it makes the good days that follow
all the better. Yesterday we were wandering around in the snow, and we
had nothing, to-day we have a magnificent city home, that is to say, the
cabin, and a beautiful country place, that is to say, this grove. I can
add, too, that our nights in our country place are spent to the
accompaniment of music. Listen to that beautiful song, won't you?"

A long, whining howl rose, sank and died. After an interval they heard
its exact duplicate and the Panther remarked tersely:

"Wolves. Mighty hungry, too. They've smelled our buffalo meat and they
want it. Guess from their big voices that they're timber wolves and not
coyotes."

Ned knew that the timber wolf was