36 SUMMER 



'* the air gave the scene a wildness altogether new 



> to me. 



On fled the coyote; on bounded the dogs. 'He / 

 would never escape ! Nothing without wings could *- 

 ever do it ! Mere feet could never stand such a test ! V 

 The chances that pursued and pursuers took the"' 

 leaps the landings ! The whole slope seemed roll-.^ 

 ing with stones, started by the feet of the runners. 1-. 

 They were nearing the high, rough rocks of the j 

 tip of the point. Between them and the ledges of the "^ 

 point, and reaching from the edge of the water nearly ^ ' 

 to the top of the ridge, lay the steep golden garden \. 

 of California poppies, blooming in the dry lava soil*' 

 that had crumbled and drifted down on the rocky Sxl 

 side. f, ; 



The coyote veered, and dashed down toward theVA-cv 

 middle of the poppies ; the hounds hit the bed two /J% 

 jumps behind. There was a cloud of dust, and 

 in it we saw an avalanche of dogs ploughing a wide 

 furrow through the flowers nearly down to the 

 water. Climbing slowly out near the upper edge of, 

 the bed was the coyote, again with a good margin of 

 lead. 



But the beast was at the end of the point, and 

 nearing the end of his race. Had we been out of the 

 way, he might have turned and yet given the dogs 

 the slip for behind us lay the open desert. 



Straight toward the rocks he headed, with the 

 [hounds laboring up the slope after him. He was 



