LITTLE BULL OF THE BARRENS 197 



herd was cleft and rent asunder to the heart. 

 The victory seemed overwhelming. 



But there was one thing which the pack 

 had not reckoned with the indomitable pluck 

 and generalship of the old bull. Blindly con- 

 fident in their leader, the herd hung together 

 stolidly, instead of disintegrating. The 

 front ranks turned inwards upon the bloody 

 convulsion of the centre. At the same time 

 the old bull, followed by a couple of raging 

 cows in quest of their young calves, came 

 plunging in behind the pack and fell upon 

 its rear like battering rams. In a moment 

 the flanks closed in behind them, and the 

 completed circle, instead of flying to pieces, 

 began ponderously to constrict. 



As the wolves realized what was happen- 

 ing, the two hindermost whirled about, just 

 in time to leap savagely at the old bull's 

 neck, one on each side. But they had no 

 room to act effectively, no chance to choose 

 their hold. As he charged with head down 

 and the full impetus of his bulk, their fangs 

 gashed him to the shoulder, but slantingly, 

 so that the wounds were not deep. In his 

 rage he never felt them. The next moment 

 his two assailants were borne down, gored 

 and trampled, by the frantic cows, while he 

 lurched onward into the hideous melee at the 



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