122 The King of the Thundering Herd 



a mile below trying to dig out a gopher, 

 when he noticed the young buffalo coming 

 down-stream and running frantically. 



His loose-jointed legs were working des- 

 perately, and his little spike tail stuck 

 straight up with fright. Almost at the 

 same instant that Shep saw his friend 

 making the run of his life, he discovered 

 that he was closely followed by a great gray 

 wolf, who was gaining upon him steadily. 



Only the very largest and fiercest dogs 

 are any match for a gray wolf, and even 

 then they usually come off badly in any 

 encounter with the terrible gray fighters. 

 Shep was not a large dog, although he was 

 a fair-sized cattle dog, but Little Bighead 

 was his friend. 



He had watched over him and protected 

 him ever since he was a wobbly-kneed 

 calf, and he did not hesitate now. Every 

 hair upon his back went fighting mad and 

 he started up the creek to meet his friend. 



