he did not immediately understand they would never 

 tackle him again. 



It took a whole day for him to realise this ; but as 

 soon as he did understand it he seemed to make up 

 his mind that now his turn had come, and he went 

 for the first puppy he saw with a bone. He walked 

 up slowly and carefully, and began to make a circle 

 round him. When he got about half-way round the 

 puppy took up the bone and trotted off ; but Jock 

 headed him off at once, and again began to walk 

 towards him very slowly and stiffly. The other 

 puppy stood quite still for a moment, and then Jock's 

 fierce determined look was too much for him : he 

 dropped the bone and bolted. 



There was mighty little but smell on those bones, 

 for we gave the puppies very little meat, so when Jock 

 had taken what he could off this one, he started on 

 another hunt. A few yards away Billy's pup was 

 having a glorious time, struggling with a big bone 

 and growling all the while as if he wanted to let the 

 world know that it was as much as any one's life was 

 worth to come near him. None of us thought Jock 

 would tackle him, as Billy's pup was still a long way 

 the biggest and strongest of the puppies, and always 

 ready to bully the others. 



Jock was about three or four yards away when he 

 caught sight of Billy's pup, and for about a minute 

 he stood still and quietly watched. At first he seemed 

 surprised, and then interested, and then gradually 

 he stiffened up all over in that funny way of his ; 

 and when the hair on his shoulders was all on end and 

 75 



