y. Roka seized a piece of burning wood and held it aloft.

"It's a monstrous mountain lion stretched along a bough," he said. "Look
closely, Waditaka, and you will see. At a long distance you are the best
bowman of us all. Can you not reach him with an arrow from your great
elkhorn bow?"

"I think so," replied Will, concentrating his gaze until he could make
out clearly the outlines of the giant cat. "He's a monster of his kind.
All the animals in this region seem to be about twice the size of
ordinary types."

"But if the arrow touches the heart the big as well as the little will
fall."

"True, Roka, and while you hold that torch aloft I can mark the spot on
his yellowish hide beneath which his heart lies. Steady, now, don't let
the light waver and I think I can reach the place."

He fitted the arrow to the string, bent the great bow and let fly. The
arrow sang a moment through the air, and then it stood out, buried to
the feathers in the body of the lion. The wounded beast uttered a scream
so fierce that all three shuddered and drew a little closer together,
and then launched itself through the air like a projectile. It struck in
the snow somewhere, disappeared from their sight, and they heard
terrible sounds of growling and fighting.

"Your arrow went straight to its heart," said Roka. "The spring was its
last convulsion of the muscles and now the other beasts are fighting
over its body as they eat it."

"I don't care how soon this night is over," said Will. "All the
meat-eating wild beasts in the mountains must be gathering about us."

"It is not a time for sleep," said Roka gravely. "While Manitou has
given us the fire to serve as a wall around us, he tells us also that we
must watch every minute of the night with the bows and arrows always in
our hands, or we die."

"Aye," said Pehansan, "there is one that comes too near now!"

He sent an arrow slithering at a bulky figure dimly outlined not more
than ten yards away. At so short a distance a Sioux could shoot an arrow
with tremendous force, and there followed at once a roar of pain, a rush
of heavy feet, and a wild threshing among the bushes.

"I know not what beast it was," said Pehansan proudly, "but like the
other it will soon find a grave in the stomachs of the great wolves."

They did not see any more figures for an hour or two, but a dreadful
howling came from the great beasts, from every point in the complete
circle about them. The three watch