i88 The King of the Thundering Herd 



side of the butte. If he gave ten feet more 

 he would be rolled over the side and go 

 tumbling down to an ignominious defeat. 



Perhaps it was merely an accident, or 

 maybe the King had played the trick be- 

 fore. But Buck had now to hold his ground 

 or go down to defeat. His breath came in 

 deep gasps. He had been so long straining 

 to his utmost pound of strength that his 

 sight grew dim merely from the effort. 

 Gradually he felt his strength waning. 

 Inch by inch the King began forcing him 

 back again. Two desperate stands he made 

 of a few seconds each, but he was clearly 

 weakening. His hour had nearly struck. 



At the very second when he seemed de- 

 feated, his power to resist all but gone, there 

 came from behind the heels of the strug- 

 gling King a high-keyed bark that somehow 

 had a familiar sound to the ears of Buck. 

 He had heard that bark somewhere before, 

 but he was too dazed to know just where. 



