and were now guiding surely straight to 

 his hiding-place. 



The snort and plunge of the smitten ani- 

 mal startled this young stag and he turned 

 aside from his course. Like a shadow the big 

 wolf that Mooka was watching changed his 

 place so as to head the game, while two of 

 the pack on the open barrens slipped around 

 the caribou and turned him back again to the 

 woods. At the edge of the cover the stag 

 stopped for a last look, pointing his ears first 

 at Noel's caribou, which now lay very still in 

 the snow, then at the wolves, which with quick 

 instinct had singled him out of the herd, know- 

 ing in some subtle way he was watched from 

 beyond, and which gathered about him in a 

 circle, sitting on their tails and yawning. 

 Slowly, silently Mooka's wolf crept forward, 

 pushing his great body through the snow. 

 A terrific rush, a quick snap under the stag's 

 chest just behind the fore legs, where the 

 heart lay; then the big wolf leaped aside and 

 sat down quietly again to watch. 



It was soon finished. The stag plunged 

 away, settled into his long rack, slowed down 



165 



Wf/s /fiat Cross 

 fn/£gJ5notv 



