THE MAGIC ARROW 163

in the grateful glow of the fiercely blazing logs. The
deep gorge and the darkness would hide the fire and
smoke from his people across the valley, so that he
had no fear of discovery and lay dozing, quite con-
tent, upon the thick green moss.

Before long, however, he heard the long-drawn-
out howl of wolves down the gorge and leaped
quickly to his feet. Wolves! They must have caught
the scent of the broiling meat. The howls grew louder
as the pack closed in and came racing up the gorge.

Kadonah worked madly then, piling broken
branches upon the fire. Swiftly the flames crept for-
ward until they entered the dry heart of a giant stump
and shot upward with a roar and a burst of flame that
must have been visible above the top of the gulch.
Kadonah had no time to think of that danger; he re-
joiced to see the roaring, snapping, crackling fire, for
he knew that his own safety was assured. The wolves
would be held at bay by the flames for a long time
and he would be able to find a safe refuge high up
on the cliffs above.

Nearer came the wolf pack; louder sounded their
howls. They were startlingly close when at last
Kadonah snatched up the pieces of half-cooked meat
and dashed up the gulch. Where it came to an abrupt
end, he began his climb up the steep slope of the
mountain, seeking a spot so inaccessible that the wolf
pack would be unable to follow.

Suddenly the howling stopped, and the gulley rang