64 ON THE EDGE OF THE WILDERNESS 
dom; doubtless you know how it is! The upshot 
was that he drifted off again by himself for a 
while, and had a little den a mile or so from the 
recent family home. He was here when the win- 
ter snows came, and living rather a solitary life, 
finding his chief amusement in running European 
hares, which had suddenly appeared that winter 
in large numbers, coming over from a neighbor- 
ing State—great, swift, long-legged and long- 
eared creatures like our western jack-rabbits. 
He also kept in practice leading dogs astray, and 
made several successful chicken raids. 
It was midwinter sometime that he was startled 
early one morning by the sound of a gun, and 
presently detected sounds of distress. Galloping 
swiftly toward the sound, he found poor White- 
tip with one hind foot crippled and torn with shot, 
and bleeding. She was hobbling along on three 
legs, trying to reach her den. When she saw 
Reddy, she gave a little moan of greeting, and 
sank in the snow, half exhausted, while he licked 
her paw. 
But he had scarcely got the clotted, frozen 
blood off before they both heard a deep, warning 
