164 WILD NEIGHBORS CHAR, 
He vanished in the forest. And now there was 
no possibility of mistake. The distant cry of the 
pack came each instant louder to the ear; at top 
speed they swept along the trail, heads up high 
and bushy tails waving. They followed over the 
stream without a check, and disappeared under the 
arches of the wood. Presently I heard the crash- 
ing of undergrowth and threw myself flat upon the 
ground. Laboring terribly, the buck broke cover 
at the foot of the ridge, and ran along the forest 
on my left. The coyotes’ triumphant cry rang 
louder and louder, and then they, too, appeared, 
running as fresh as at the beginning of the chase. 
They dashed along in a compact mass, eight or 
ten couple of grown dogs, and toiling after were 
three or four heavy bitches, and a dozen sturdy 
pups of all ages: these had plainly joined the 
chase only a few moments before, for they were 
playing and biting one another. 
“T rose to my feet and watched with the greatest 
interest, for it seemed certain that the buck must 
have over-run the coyotes’ trail and his own scent. 
My guess was correct. On the edge of the forest, 
a big old dog which had led the pack, raised his 
muzzle and howled. Each hound stood still, and 
then I could mark that some of the finest animals 
were much more blown than the others, thus show- 
ing that the game had been turned by a forced 
gallop. The leader sniffed about for a moment, 
then uttered a sharp whine, on which the pack 
