like searching for a needle in a hay-stack. There
was nothing to do, then, but to wait for Jack to come home, which he
would surely do--to get to Chad--and it was while old Joel was
promising that the dog should be surrendered to the Sheriff that little
Tad Dillon gave an excited shriek.

"Look up thar!"

And up there at the edge of the wood was Chad standing and, at his
feet, Jack sitting on his haunches, with his tongue out and looking as
though nothing had happened or could ever happen to Chad or to him.

"Come up hyeh," shouted Chad.

"You come down hyeh," shouted the Sheriff, angrily. So Chad came down,
with Jack trotting after him. Chad had cut off the rawhide string, but
the Sheriff caught Jack by the nape of the neck.

"You won't git away from me agin, I reckon."

"Well, I reckon you ain't goin' to shoot him," said Chad. "Leggo that
dawg."

"Don't be a fool, Jim," said old Joel. "The dawg ain't goin' to leave
the boy." The Sheriff let go.

"Come on up hyeh," said Chad. "I got somethin' to show ye."

The boy turned with such certainty that with out a word Squire,
Sheriff, Turners, Dillons, and spectators followed. As they approached
a deep ravine the boy pointed to the ground where were evidences of
some fierce struggle--the dirt thrown up, and several small stones
scattered about with faded stains of blood on them.

"Wait hyeh!" said the boy, and he slid down the ravine and appeared
again dragging something after him. Tall Tom ran down to help him and
the two threw before the astonished crowd the body of a black and white
dog. "Now I reckon you know whar Whizzer is," panted Chad vindictively
to the Dillons.

"Well, what of it?" snapped Daws

"Oh, nothin'," said the boy with fine sarcasm. "Only WHIZZER killed
that sheep and Jack killed Whizzer." From every Dillon throat came a
scornful grunt.

"Oh, I reckon so," said Chad, easily. "Look dhar!" He lifted the dead
dog's head, and pointed at the strands of wool between his teeth. He
turned it over, showing the deadly grip in the throat and close to the
jaws, that had choked the life from Whizzer--Jack's own grip.

"Ef you will jes' rickollect, Jack had that same grip the time
afore--when I pulled him off o' Whizzer."

"By ----, that is so," said Tall Tom, and Dolph and Rube echoed him
amid a dozen voices, for not only old Joel, but many of his neighbors
knew Jack's method of fighting, which had made him a victor up and down
the length of Kingdom