s if a
hundred wolves--or maybe a thousand dogs--had fallen to quarreling a
mile away, growling and howling in the distance.

As soon as he heard the noise Mr. Coyote pricked up his ears and sprang
to his feet. "I must leave you now," he said. "There are my six
brothers! They're going to have a sing. And I promised that I'd join
them. . . . Don't forget!" he added, as he flung a sly smile in Benny
Badger's direction. "I'll be here soon after dark to-morrow night."

And the next moment he was gone.

Benny Badger stood and watched him as he loped off across the moonlit
plain. And not long afterward a terrific racket--twice as loud as the
one before--made Benny bury his head in the place where he had been
digging.

"Mr. Coyote has joined his six brothers," he said to himself.

VII

MR. COYOTE REMEMBERS

The next evening, just at dusk, Benny Badger left his den and set forth
on his usual nightly ramble.

By way of exercise, and for the sake of the fun it gave him, and to
improve his appetite, he dug a few holes. And by the time it was dark he
was hungry as a bear and ready to look once more for fresh holes made by
Ground Squirrels.

He had decided not to wait for Mr. Coyote to join him, before beginning
his search. And he even hoped that Mr. Coyote had forgotten all about
his promise to meet him and help him hunt.

But Benny Badger was to have no such good fortune as that. It was not
long before he heard Mr. Coyote calling to him. And though he made no
answer, thinking that Mr. Coyote might not be able to find him, in a few
minutes that sharp-faced gentleman came bounding up at top speed.

"Here I am!" he cried, as soon as he spied Benny Badger. "I see you
started out without waiting for me. You didn't think I'd disappoint you,
did you?"

"I was afraid you wouldn't," Benny answered--a remark that Mr. Coyote
seemed not to understand. For a moment or two he looked somewhat
puzzled. But he decided, evidently, that Benny _meant_ to be pleasant,
but didn't know how to be.

"Now, then," Mr. Coyote said, while Benny Badger shuddered at his harsh
voice, "now then, where do you think we'd better look for a hole?"

"For pity's sake, don't howl so loud!" Benny Badger besought him.
"You'll waken all the Ground Squirrels in the neighborhood if you're so
noisy."

"Pardon me!" said Mr. Coyote very meekly, lowering his voice, but
promptly raising it again. "Do you know of any fresh holes around here?"

Benny B