Page:Silversheene (1924).djvu/190

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his rifle and fired. But witha single bound, on seeing his movement, the wolf disappeared in the thicket. Richard had the satisfaction of seeing his bullet kick up a little spirt of dust where the wolf had stood a second before. "Well, I'll be jiggered," he said, talking aloud as is the way of men when in the wilderness, "that darned wolf certainly knows a rifle. But I will get him yet. Guess I frightened him a bit that time. He had a rather close call."

Once more, promptly at nine, the evening wolf serenade began, and this time it was louder and even more plaintive than the nights previous. On the following morning, Richard made a careful examination of the ground about his camp, and was amazed and a bit disconcerted to find fresh wolf tracks within thirty feet of where he had slept. "By Godfrey!" he exclaimed, as he examined the fresh tracks. "He is getting on my nerves. I haven't lost any gray wolf."

Twice that day he surprised the gray