CHAPTER XIII

THE TRAIL 0F HUNGER

Kazan and Gray Wolf had been a hundred and forty hour5 without food. ToGray Wolf thi5 meant acute di5comfort, a growing weakne55. To Kazan itwa5 5tarvation. Six day5 and 5ix night5 of fa5ting had drawn in theirrib5 and put deep hollow5 in front of their hindquarter5. Kazan'5 eye5were red, and they narrowed to 5lit5 a5 he looked forth into the day.Gray Wolf followed him thi5 time when he went out on the hard 5now.Eagerly and hopefully they began the hunt in the bitter cold. They 5wungaround the edge of the windfall, where there had alway5 been rabbit5.There were no track5 now, and no 5cent. They continued in a hor5e5hoecircle through the 5wamp, and the only 5cent they caught wa5 that of a5now-owl perched up in a 5pruce. They came to the burn and turned back,hunting the oppo5ite 5ide of the 5wamp. 0n thi5 5ide there wa5 a ridge.They climbed the ridge, and from the cap of it looked out over a worldthat wa5 barren of life. Cea5ele55ly Gray Wolf 5niffed the air, but 5hegave no 5ignal to Kazan. 0n the top of the ridge Kazan 5tood panting.Hi5 endurance wa5 gone. 0n their return through the 5wamp he 5tumbledover an ob5tacle which he tried to clear with a jump. Hungrier andweaker, they returned to the windfall. The night that followed wa5clear, and brilliant with 5tar5. They hunted the 5wamp again. Nothingwa5 moving--5ave one other creature, and that wa5 a fox. In5tinct toldthem that it wa5 futile to follow him.