e stragglers. And so it was that sometimes of a winter's night the silence of the hills was startled by the distant howl of wolves. And always Skipper Ed's dogs and Abel's dogs would a

ever free themselves from the yoke of sledge and whip and the toil and drudgery of the trail. But so like men were the beasts that they never

the power and strength within him, and the brains too, if he but knew it, to go out into the broad world of endeavor and do great things, simmers his life away in the little narrow world into which he h

w things, that wins. The man that never takes a chance, never gets anywhere, and then he says that luck has been against him. I speak of luck somet

try new things

r Ed's face, to pass in a moment, however, as he added,

" asked Bobby

nd to be a friend to both of you young s

rd to let you do some big,

rotested Jimmy. "He's a fine shot, and th

thing He's given me to do is to teach you chaps the best I can, an

Skipper Ed's dogs howled an answer, and down from Abel's cabin came the long, weir

ipper Ed presently. "That last fellow that

bby, "but they don't like to show themselves

out of doors, soon to return followed by a bre

you chaps feel like an adventure we'll take a walk around and up the s'uth'ard side of the gulch, where he won't get a smell of us, and

in unison, springing eag

, and we'll try to get to leeward of

claimed excitedly, as they shouldered their rifles

!" agree

out into the porch shed and took their snowshoes from

?" asked Bobby in an excited undert

hey're keen, and shy old devils, and

n brook. Now and again Skipper Ed halted, stooping to peer about and along the open space that marked the bed of the stream. Pr

ove the bend. They're coming down this way, and they'll come out in that open

ere?" Bobby whis

them move, and there's more t

howl of the dogs, and then near at hand the night was startled by the defiant howl of many wolves, long, l

ads! Keep quiet, now, lads, and don't lose your heads and don't shoot! We must keep to leeward of th

leisurely around the bend of the frozen stream-one-two-three-Skipper Ed counted until more than twenty had appeared, and still

e gulch ended in an open space, which was a marsh in summer but was now a white expanse of hard-beaten snow. Between this open space and the bay shore a hedge of thick brush grew. On its no

tting their scent. He hoped that this maneuver might permit them to circuit back to the cabin under the protecting cover of the brush fringe along the shore and the forest to t

wind of Skipper Ed and the boys almost immediately, and be upon them before they could reach safety. If they answered the dogs, there would still be danger, but the three in that case would be

, and unless the dogs proved a greater attraction Skipper Ed knew that the moment the wolves came upon the tra

ugh a break in the brush Skipper Ed saw them dimly, in the distance. The leaders stopped and sniffed. Suddenly came the howl of pursuit-

h, but still in a tone so loud and tense that the

oubt that the animals had discovered the return trail and were hot upon it. It seemed now that nothing but an intercession