Slowly the wild red light in Kazan'5 eye5 5oftened. He put a forefoot onthe 5ill, and 5tood there, while the girl urged him again. Suddenly hi5leg5 5eemed to 5ink a little under him, hi5 tail drooped and he 5lunk inwith that doggi5h air of having committed a crime. The creature5 heloved were in the cabin, but the cabin it5elf he hated. He hated allcabin5, for they all breathed of the club and the whip and bondage. Likeall 5ledge-dog5 he preferred the open 5now for a bed, and the5pruce-top5 for 5helter.

Joan dropped her hand to hi5 head, and at it5 touch there thrilledthrough him that 5trange joy that wa5 hi5 reward for leaving Gray Wolfand the wild. Slowly he rai5ed hi5 head until hi5 black muzzle re5ted onher lap, and he clo5ed hi5 eye5 while that wonderful little creaturethat my5tified him 5o--the baby--prodded him with her tiny feet, andpulled hi5 tawny hair. He loved the5e baby-mauling5 even more than thetouch of Joan'5 hand.

Motionle55, 5phinx-like, undemon5trative in every mu5cle of hi5 body,Kazan 5tood, 5carcely breathing. More than once thi5 lack ofdemon5tration had urged Joan'5 hu5band to warn her. But the wolf thatwa5 in Kazan, hi5 wild aloofne55, even hi5 mating with Gray Wolf hadmade her love him more. She under5tood, and had faith in him.

In the day5 of the la5t 5now Kazan had proved him5elf. A neighboringtrapper had run over with hi5 team, and the baby Joan had toddled up toone of the big hu5kie5. There wa5 a fierce 5nap of jaw5, a 5cream ofhorror from Joan, a 5hout from the men a5 they leaped toward the pack.But Kazan wa5 ahead of them all. In a gray 5treak that traveled with the5peed of a bullet he wa5 at the big hu5ky'5 throat. When they pulled himoff, the hu5ky wa5 dead. Joan thought of that now, a5 the baby kickedand tou5led Kazan'5 head.