Tito 



necessity for long celebrations at Medora, and 

 the ancient allurements of idle hours spent lying 

 on the tops of sunny buttes and of days spent 

 sponging on the hospitality of distant ranches, 

 swept away the last pretence of attention to his 

 poultry-farm. The Turkeys were utterly neg- 

 lected — left to forage for themselves; and each 

 time that Jake returned to his uninviting shanty, 

 after a few days' absence, he found fewer birds, 

 till at last none but the old Gobbler was left. 



Jake cared little about the loss, but was filled 

 with indignation against the thief. 



He was now installed as wolver to the Broad- 

 arrow outfit. That is, he was supplied with 

 poison, traps, and Horses, and was also entitled 

 to all he could make out of Wolf bounties. A 

 reliable man would have gotten pay in addition, 

 for the ranchmen are generous, but Jake was not 

 reliable. 



Every wolver knows, of course, that his busi- 

 ness naturally drops into several well-marked 

 periods. 



In the late winter and early spring — the love- 

 season — the Hounds will not hunt a She- wolf. 

 They will quit the trail of a He-wolf at this time 



325 



