The Lair

           Fortwodaystheshe-wolfandOneEyehungabouttheIndiancamp. Hewasworriedandapprehensive,yetthecampluredhismateandshewasloathtodepart. Butwhen,onemorning,theairwasrentwiththereportofariflecloseathand, andabulletsmashedagainstatreetrunkseveralinchesfromOneEye’shead, theyhesitatednomore,butwentoffonalong,swinginglope thatputquickmilesbetweenthemandthedanger. 

           Theydidnotgofar—acoupleofdays’journey. Theshe-wolf’sneedtofindthethingforwhichshesearchedhadnowbecomeimperative. Shewasgettingveryheavy,andcouldrunbutslowly. Once,inthepursuitofarabbit,whichsheordinarilywouldhavecaughtwithease, shegaveoverandlaydownandrested. OneEyecametoher; butwhenhetouchedherneckgentlywithhismuzzleshesnappedathimwithsuchquickfiercenessthathetumbledoverbackward andcutaridiculousfigureinhisefforttoescapeherteeth. Hertemperwasnowshorterthanever; buthehadbecomemorepatientthaneverandmoresolicitous. 

           Andthenshefoundthethingforwhichshesought. ItwasafewmilesupasmallstreamthatinthesummertimeflowedintotheMackenzie, butthatthenwasfrozenoverandfrozendowntoitsrockybottom—adeadstreamofsolidwhitefromsourcetomouth. Theshe-wolfwastrottingwearilyalong,hermatewellinadvance,whenshecameupontheoverhanging,highclay-bank. Sheturnedasideandtrottedovertoit. Thewearandtearofspringstormsandmeltingsnowshadunderwashedthebank andinoneplacehadmadeasmallcaveoutofanarrowfissure. 

           Shepausedatthemouthofthecaveandlookedthewallovercarefully. Then,ononesideandtheother,sheranalongthebaseofthewalltowhereitsabruptbulkmergedfromthesofter-linedlandscape.