MOOSWA BRINGS HELP 247 



Wolf, almost touching him, the close-following 

 Stag-hound sprang for his quarters, all but 

 dragging him to earth ; but the fangs failed to 

 hold, tearing a gash down Moose s thigh, and as 

 the Dog fell sideways a pair of jaws, strong as a 

 bear-trap, closed on his lean throat. 



&quot; Hold fast, Brother ! &quot; wheezed Mooswa, 

 swinging around in his own length, and making a 

 vicious sword-cut at the hound s back with his 

 iron hoof. A second dog sprang at the Bull s 

 throat, only to strike the big antlers quickly 

 lowered to guard it. 



Rof s two sons had closed with the other 

 hounds, and a battle to the death raged. There 

 was not much noise, only a snarling sucking from 

 where Blue Wolf s fangs were fastened in the 

 throat of the hound he had pinned down. 



Once Mooswa got a clean slash at his fighting 

 dog with a fore-foot that laid the brute s shoulder 

 open ; once the dog fastened in Mooswa s throat 

 as the treacherous crust gave way and threw him 

 off his guard. It seemed anybody s battle. Blue 

 Wolf knew better than to let go the first hold he 

 had taken. It was said in the Boundaries that 

 long ago, two or three generations back, a Bull 

 dog had mated with one of his ancestors, and the 

 strong strain had more than held its own the 

 way of the Bull-dog, which is to catch and hold, 



