104 



WILD NEIGHBORS 



He vanished in the forest. And now there was 

 no possibility of mistake. The distant cry of the 

 pack came each instant louder to the ear ; at top 

 speed they swept along the trail, heads up high 

 and bushy tails waving. They followed over the 

 stream without a check, and disappeared under the 

 arches of the wood. Presently I heard the crash- 

 ing of undergrowth and threw myself flat upon the 

 ground. Laboring terribly, the buck broke cover 

 at the foot of the ridge, and ran along the forest 

 on my left. The coyotes' triumphant cry rang 

 louder and louder, and then they, too, appeared, 

 running as fresh as at the beginning of the chase. 

 They dashed along in a compact mass, eight or 

 ten couple of grown dogs, and toiling after were 

 three or four heavy bitches, and a dozen sturdy 

 pups of all ages: these had plainly joined the 

 chase only a few moments before, for they were 

 playing and biting one another. 



" I rose to my feet and watched with the greatest 

 interest, for it seemed certain that the buck must 

 have over-run the coyotes' trail and his own scent. 

 My guess was correct. On the edge of the forest, 

 a big old dog which had led the pack, raised his 

 muzzle and howled. Each hound stood still, and 

 then I could mark that some of the finest animals 

 were much more blown than the others, thus show- 

 ing that the game had been turned by a forced 

 gallop. The leader sniffed about for a moment, 

 then uttered a sharp whine, on which the pack 



