come with weakness.

"Well, now, you have done it, young one! I thought I'd get a
finger in this pie, but I came up too late! Say, young fellow,
what's your name? Is it Daniel Boone or Davy Crockett?"

It was Dick who had followed in an apparently casual manner. He
had rushed to his brother's rescue when he saw the bull charging,
but he had arrived too late--and he was glad of it; the triumph
was wholly Albert's.

Albert, recovering from his weakness, looked at Dick, looked at
the buffalo, and then looked back at Dick. All three looks were
as full of triumph, glory, and pride as any boy's look could be.

"He's as big as a mountain, isn't he, Dick?" he said.

"Well, not quite that," replied Dick gravely. "A good-sized hill
would be a better comparison."

The buffalo certainly was a monster, and the two boys examined
him critically. Dick was of the opinion that he belonged to the
species known as the wood bison, which is not numerous among the
mountains, but which is larger than the ordinary buffalo of the
plains. The divergence of type, however, is very slight.

"He must have been an outlaw," said Dick; "a vicious old bull
compelled to wander alone because of his bad manners. Still,
it's likely that he's not the only buffalo in our valley."

"Can we eat him?" asked Albert.

"That's a question. He's sure to be tough, but I remember how we
used to make steak tender at home by beating it before it was
cooked. We might serve a thousand pounds or two of this bull in
that manner. Besides, we want that robe."

The robe was magnificent, and both boys felt that it would prove
useful. Dick had gained some experience from his own buffalo
hunt on the plains, and they began work at once with their sharp
hunting knives. It was no light task to take the skin, and the
beast was so heavy that they could not get it entirely free until
they partly chopped up the body with an ax that Dick brought from
the cabin. Then it made a roll of great weight, but Dick spread
it on the roof of their home to cure. They also cut out great
sections of the buffalo, which they put in the same place for
drying and jerking.

While they were engaged at this task, Albert saw a pair of fiery
eyes regarding them from the undergrowth.

"See, Dick," he said, "what is that?"

Dick saw the eyes, the lean ugly body behind it, and he
shuddered. He knew. It was the timber wolf, largest and
fiercest of the species, brother to him whom