The Last of the Plainsmen

e lifted, the hope in the south brightened, and the mercury c

offcast of the Great Slaves, according to Rea, and as motley, starring and starved as the Yellow Knives. But they were friendly, which

er the glistening snow toward the north. They made sixty miles the first day, and pitched their Indian tepee on the shores of Artillery Lake. Traveling northeast, they covered its white waste of one hundred miles in two days. Then a day due n

chila," sai

ks Little," t

ere silver white, even the reindeer, at a distance, taking the hue of the north. Once a beautiful creature, unblemished as the sn

ing for his Winchester. "Polar wolf! Them

that was like nothing so much as a haunting, unearthly mourn. The animal then merged i

of the sleds. For five days the Indian guide drove his dogs over the smooth crust, and on the sixth day,

the tracks of reindeer, except that they were longer. T

er the hard crust without sinking in and traveling swiftly. Soon the guide, p

not unlike the shaggy, humpy buffalo, lumbered over the snow. Jones ech

of rage and shaking ram-like horns at their tormentors. Notwithstanding that for Jones this was the cumulation of years of desire, the crow

e exclaimed. "It's lik

and yelled, "Get busy. We need f

the size of a buffalo. He was of a brownish-black color and very like a large, woolly ram. His head was broad, with sharp, small ears; the horns had wide and flattened bases and lay flat on the head, to run down back of the eyes, then curve forward to a sharp poin

rt work for such expert hands. All the choice cuts of meat were saved. No time was lost in br

," exclaimed Jones, "And

ith nothin' but thet old musket." Rea then commanded the attention of the brave, and began to mangle the Great Slave and Yellow Knife lan

ng this came an action as singular as inexplicable. Slowly rising, he faced the north, lifted his hand, and remained statuesque in his

hula," he said,

in' to quit us. What do you think of thet? His wife's out of wood. Jackoway out of wood,

erstood the action, never flinched. He turned his breast to Rea, and the

ll him!" exclaimed Jones, kn

were considering the fate of a threatening beast.

have dogs and meat. We'll get our calves and reach the

will," g

eat offered by Jones, and he pointed south and looked at the white hunters as if he asked them to go with him. Both men shook their heads in answer.

his dogs into a run, and without lo

k his shaggy locks and roared. "Ho! Ho! Jackoway out

hat sent him flying back to get Rea and the dogs. Musk-oxen in great numbers had passed in the night, and Jones and Rea had not trailed the he

ves! Calves!

Thet's a big herd, an

noll, to be cornered under the lee of a bank. The hunters, seeing this small number, hurried upon them to find three cows and

ng. The first cast of the lasso settled over the neck of a little fellow. Jones hauled him out over the slippery snow and laughed as he bound the hairy legs. In less time than

f it gettin' 'em home. I'll fetch the sleds. You might as

inaccessible mammals, that he considered the day's world the fulfillment of his life's purpose. He was happy. Never had he been so delighted as when, the very evening of their captivity, the musk-oxen, evincing no particular fear of him

ill you look at that!" he kept repe

t two and a half feet high, and resembled long-haired sheep. The ears and horns were

the life-student of animals. "

the sleds. This circumstance necessitated a sacrifice of meat an

fore the hunters awoke to the consciousness that they were lost. The meat they had

k meat while we've got littl

lves? I'd starve f

giant sai

ctics. No rock or bush or tree made a welcome mark upon the hoary plain

soaked in tea made their meal. At dawn Jones crawled out of the tepee. The snow had ceased. But where were the dogs? He yelled in alarm. The

t of wood," for a reiterated qu

ied Jones in

y descried a long, low, undulating dark line. It proved to be the forest of "Little sticks,

rink each," said Rea. "I calculate we're two hundre

e hunger of the northland in it, broke the cold silence. "You'll see a pack of real wolves in a minute," said Rea. Soon a swift pattering of feet down a forest slope brought him to his feet with a curse to reach a brawny hand for his rifle. White streaks crossed the

itself ain't nothin' to these white devils. Get the calves in the

ed the shots. But whether it was the threshing about of wolves dying in agony, or the fi

the other side of the tepee. The same inarticulate

ea. "Be sparin'

d logs and brush on the fire, which, blazing up, sent a bright light far into the

aid of fire than

had a long respite from serious anxiety, during which time they collected all the available

r the 45-90, besides what's

good h

, get

to the gray, gliding, groping mass. The same r

ncanny about those brutes

he giant's answer

wn for much needed rest, but not for sleep. How long they lay there, cramped by the calves, listening for stealthy steps, neither could tell; it might have been moments and it mi

Rea. "They'r

its dripping jaws, its wicked green eyes, like spurts of fire and felt its hot breath. It fell at his feet and writhed in the death struggle. Slender bodies of black and white, whirling and tussling together, sent out fiendish uproar

s a superb animal, thin, supple, strong, with a coat of frosty fur, very long and fine.

ssness increased as dawn approached, and when the gray light came, Jones founds that some of them had been badly

o evil effects of the attack. They were lashed to their best speed, for Rea said the white rangers of the north

oon, and dazzlingly bright over the dazzling world of snow circled and glowed a mocking s

ters made camp on the shore of Artillery Lake. At dusk the cl

is hoarse, deep voice r

nly to whip out his knife and make for the tame little musk-oxen, now d

" demanded

es. "And I can't kill one of

freezes over! I ain't commenced to get hungry. Besi

and even as he went among them a fierce fight broke out. Jones saw it was unusual, for the attacked dogs showed craven fear, and the attacking ones a howling, savage intensity th

here! Look! That dog is dying of rabies! Hyd

ted like this. An' thet one ain't all. Look, Buff! look at them green eyes! Di

all the dogs meant simply to sacrifice his life and Rea's; it meant abandoning hope of ever reaching the cabin. Then to r

, with pale face. "Can you hold the

trong cords. Another and another were tied up, then one which tried to snap at Jones was nearly crushed by the giant's grip. The last, a surly brute, broke out into mad ravings the moment he felt the touch of Jones's hands, and writhing, fro

, it came-the same cry, wild, haunting, mo

said Rea; "I'll ca

Morning dawned for him, to find the great, dark,

didn't you call m

fought a little o

p, slippery place, and upon arriving at the ridge, which took several moments of hard work, he looked everywhere for the wolf. In a moment he saw the animal, standing still some hundred or more paces down a hollow. With the quick report

w's hind fo

ng by the skin as the wolf ran

the wolf had fallen, and thence back to the spot where its leg

it, did you

me. The snow is so hard the

, thet's what," returned Rea

Jones stared at th

het. An' the smell of blood, an' nothin' else, mind you, in

Rea and he did, and lashed them, beat them to cover many miles in the long day's journey. Rabies had broken out in several dogs so alarmingly that Jones had to kill them

are the wolve

walking, they urged the poor, jaded, poisoned dogs. At dark they reached the head of Artillery Lake. Rea placed th

the same haunting mourn, d

gaunt white forms emerged, agile and stealthy, slipping on velve

tepee!"

in more savage, frightful sounds, knelled one tragedy and foreboded a more ter

into thet!"

gaunt wolves leaped high to fall back dead; others wriggled and limpe

rtridges!"

s, waiting with uplifted ax. A shaggy, white demon, snapping his jaws, sprang like a dog. A sodden, thudding blow met him and he slunk away without a cry. Another rabid beast launched his white body at

's heard the rend of cloth, and then he pounced like a cat, to drive his knife into the body of the beast. Another nimble foe lunged at Rea, to sprawl broken and limp from the iron. It was a silent fight. The giant shut the way to his comrade and the calves; he made

t with you?" called

at-no more

dead; the fourth and last ga

dream to the hunters, manifesting its reality only by th

he cabin," said Rea. "But th

ll a calf?"

hell freezes o

hamber of his rifle, once more struck south. Spruce trees began to show o

s, dropping the rope of his sled. Amo

Rea. "Hurry! Sho

atience. When the caribou came out in an open space, Jones whistled. It was

long time that was! Then both hunters heard the spiteful spat of the lead. T

e world to the hunters; still glistening, it ye

his?" cri

ent sizes, all toeing nor

thet means?" Rea plodded on,

tening ever for the haunting mourn. Day again, white, passionless, monotonous, s

hin thirty miles of their c

ould not bring. Jones talked of his little musk-oxen ca

ht. Outworn nature rebelle

blankets, went out. His terrible ro

een tethered, they lay stretched out pathetically on crimson snow-st

d against h

raised his

f wood! Jackowa

he ch

in, dark, weird spruce trees, moaned a