first victim probably
lay.

"Are you all ready, Step Hen?" he asked, quietly.

"Just try me, that's all," came the whispered reply, as the other scout
clutched his rifle nervously, and strained his eyes to see what had
caught the attention of his chum.

"Then watch that spot where my game kicked the bucket; one of his mates
is right now coming to drag the body away, to give it a wolf burial. See
him, Step Hen?"

"Yes, yes, and be sure and tell me just when to let him have it, Thad,"
replied the other, beginning to cover the indistinct moving figure with
his ready gun.

"Now, hold on for a bit," Thad cautioned. "I'm going to give the fire
here a kick that will make it spring up. Then, when you can be sure
you're getting a bead on the slinker, give him Hail Columbia. Watch out,
now, old fellow. It's going to be your only chance to bag a genuine wolf
from the Canada bush."

Just as Thad had said, the fire burned briskly after he had used the toe
of his boot to give it new life; and sure enough, Step Hen could see the
outlines of a long, dim figure that seemed to be hugging the ground. He
could even catch the odd gleam of the wicked yellow eyes that were
doubtless watching their every movement.

With the sharp report of his rifle there was another howl, this time of
pain.

"Did I get him, Thad?" cried the marksman, eagerly.

"You hit him, that's certain, because I saw him flop over," replied the
other; "and that yelp meant sudden pain, as sure as it stood for
anything. But he managed to get off, though possibly he will fall within
twenty feet."

"Oh! that's too bad, because his chums'll chew him all up, and I'll
never have my nice wolf-skin to get a coat made out of for winter,"
exclaimed Step Hen; and then, as he was seized by a new thought, he went
on: "But Thad, suppose I took a torch and went out there, d'ye think I'd
be apt to find him lying on his back? I'd like the worst kind to get
hold of him before the rest of the bunch muster up courage enough to
come back."

"Well, since you haven't even a load in your gun, that would be too
risky a game for you to play, Step Hen, and just for an old wolf-skin at
that. Perhaps we've given 'em such a bad scare now that the rest of the
pack may skip out, and leave us in peace. Then in the morning you'd find
your chap, all right."

"Listen! there's something crashing through the bushes right back of us,
Thad!" exclaimed Step Hen, a minute later, though his companio