276 NEIGHBOURS UNKNOWN 



And he could not bring himself to shoot so 

 valuable a beast as this fine thoroughbred. 

 " Shucks ! " he muttered in deep disgust. 

 " I might 'a' knowed it ! " Dropping Lone 

 Wolf's chain, he ran forward, waving his 

 arms and shouting angrily. But that red 

 onrushing bulk was quite too dull-witted to 

 understand that it ought to obey. It was 

 in the mood to charge an avalanche. Deeply 

 humiliated, Timmins hopped aside, and re- 

 luctantly ran for the woods, trusting to elude 

 his pursuer by timely dodging. 



Hitherto Lone Wolf had left all cattle 

 severely alone, having got it somehow into 

 his head that they were more peculiarly 

 under man's protection than the sheep. Now, 

 however, he saw his duty and duty is often 

 a very well developed concept in the brain 

 of dog and wolf. His ears flattened, his eyes 

 narrowed to flaming green slits, his lips 

 wrinkled back till his long white fangs were 

 clean bared, and without a sound he hurled 

 himself upon the red bull's flank. Looking 

 back over his shoulder, Timmins saw it all. 

 It was as if all his life Lone Wolf had been 

 killing bulls, so unerring was that terrible 

 chopping snap at the great beast's throat. 

 Far forward, just behind the bull's jaws, the 

 slashing fangs caught. And Timmins was 



