;> 



V 



Tito 



■'' W'"'i- 



sunny side was the home of her brood. Again 

 she cautiously circled, peered about, and sniffed, 

 but, finding no sign of danger, went down to 

 the doorway and uttered a low woof -woof. Out 

 of the den, beside a sage-bush, there poured a 

 procession of little Coyotes, merrily tumbling 

 over one another. Then, barking little barks 

 and growling little puppy growls, they fell upon 

 the feast that their mother had brought, and 

 gobbled and tussled while she looked on and 

 enjoyed their joy. 



Wolver Jake, the cow-boy, had awakened 

 from his chilly sleep about sunrise, in time to 

 catch a glimpse of the Coyote passing over the 

 ridge. As soon as she was out of sight he got 

 on his feet and went to the edge, there to wit- 

 ness the interesting scene of the family break- 

 fasting and frisking about within a few yards of 

 him, utterly unconscious of any danger. 



But the only appeal the scene had to him lay 

 in the fact that the county had set a price on 

 every one of these Coyotes' lives. So he got 

 out his big .45 navy revolver, and notwith- 

 standing his shaky condition, he managed 

 somehow to get a sight on the mother as she 



267 



