heart of the gray wolf
stabbed and tore. His red eyes could not face the great red sun that
swung now above the earth, shooting its fierce beams straight at him.
The dark, so kindly and so encouraging, beloved of his kind, was gone,
and the earth swam in a hideous light, every ray of which was hostile.
His blood changed to water, his knees bent under him, and then, to turn
fear to panic, came a powerful odor on the light, morning wind. It was
like the scent of the two strange, succulent creatures in the tree, but
it was the odor of many--many make strength he knew--and the great gray
wolf was sore afraid.

The sun shot higher and the world was bathed in a luminous golden glow.
The master-wolf cast one last, longing look at the lost food in the
tree, and then, uttering a long quavering howl of terror, which the pack
took up and carried in many echoes, fled headlong through the forest
with his followers close behind, all running low and fast, and with
terror hot at their heels. Their gaunt, gray bodies were gone in a
moment, like ghosts that vanish at the coming of the day.

"Rouse up, Paul!" cried Henry. "They are gone, afraid of the sun, and
it's safe for us now on the ground."

"And mighty glad I am!" said Paul. "The great Inn of Kaintuckee was not
so hospitable after all, or at least some of our fellow guests were too
hungry."

"It's because we were careless about our fire," said Henry. "If we had
obeyed all the rules of the inn, we should have had no trouble. Jump
down, Paul!"

Henry dropped lightly and cheerfully to the ground. As usual he let the
past and its dangers slip, forgotten, behind him. Paul alighted beside
him and the wilderness witnessed the strange sight of two stout boys,
running up and down, pounding and rubbing their hands and arms, uttering
little cries of pain, as the blood flowed at first slowly and with
difficulty in their cramped limbs, and then of delight, as the
circulation became free and easy.

"Now for breakfast," said Henry. "It will be easy, as Mr. Landlord has
kept the venison hanging on the tree there for us."

Henry was breathing the fresh morning air, and rejoicing in the
sunlight. His wonderful physical nature had cast away all thought of
fear, but Paul, who had the sensitive mind and delicate fancy, was still
troubled.

"Henry," he said, "I'm not willing to stay here, even to eat the deer
meat. All through those hours we were up there it was a haunted forest
for me. I do