Four Boy Hunters Part 36

"Wolves!"

"Yes, and look at the number!"

The words were true. Under the tree a number of wolves had congregated. There were at least twenty-five or thirty of them, and they were all of good size.

As soon as they saw the boys they retreated a few feet and then began to snarl savagely.

"Say, Whopper, I don't like this," observed Giant, with a grave shake of his head.

"I don't like it myself."

"They don't look extra friendly."

"Friendly? I guess not. They are mighty savage."

"I wonder where they came from?"

"I am sure I don't know. Perhaps from over the mountains. Don't you remember Jed Sanborn telling us of the packs of wolves over near Pine Mountain?"

"Yes."

The two boy hunters had not ventured to the lowest limb of the tree.

Now, as Whopper started to step down, one of the wolves, large and savage, leaped up at him with a vicious snarl.

"Not to-day!" cried Whopper, and drew himself up again. "I don't want you to sample my leg!"

"If we only had our guns!" sighed Giant.

"I wanted to get them, Giant. But I don't know if it will do any good---there are so many of them. One or two less won't count."

The wolves now seemed to grow impatient and snapped and snarled loudly as they crowded around the tree and tried to leap up towards the boys. They were evidently a hungry lot.

"I've got an idea!" said Giant, presently. "I am going to cut a notched stick and reach down for the guns with that."

"Just the thing!" answered his chum. The stick was soon cut, and then both boys went "Fishing" with it. Both the gun and the rifle were hanging up by straps, and it was an easy matter to catch the notch under the straps and hoist the weapons up to where the youths stood.

"Hurrah! So far so good!" cried Giant. "Now then, we'll give the wolves something that will surprise them."

"Yes; but don't forget one thing, Giant. The shots will surely scare the game away from around here, and that will mean good-by to the silver deer---at least for the present."

"Well, we have got to do something."

"I agree on that."

"I'll take that savage-looking fellow right below us."

"And I'll fire at the one over yonder. Are you ready?"

There was a pause.

"Yes."

"Then fire!"

And the shotgun and the rifle spoke up almost as one piece.

CHAPTER XXVI

SOMETHING ABOUT TRAPPING

When the smoke cleared away the two boy hunters saw two wolves stretched upon the ground, dead. The rest of the pack had retreated, yelping and snarling more frightfully than ever.

"That's the time we did it!" cried Whopper, reloading the rifle, while Giant attended to his shotgun.

"But it hasn't sent them away," was the answer of the smaller youth.

"Here they come back!"

Giant was right. Sniffing suspiciously, the remaining wolves came as close to the tree as before. Strange to say, they scarcely paid any attention to those that had been killed.

"Let us fire again," said Whopper, and his companion nodded. Once more the weapons rang out and again two of the wolves dropped. This time the remainder of the pack grew scared and vanished into the brushwood as if by magic.

"They have gone!" cried Giant, excitedly. "I thought that would make 'em skip."

"Don't be so sure about that," was Whopper's reply. "They may be watching us from behind the bushes. If they---I see one of them now!"

"Let us give them another shot!"

Again the weapons were discharged, both boys thinking it great sport to lay the wolves low. This time two more were hit, but merely wounded. They ran away yelping with pain, and the balance of the pack went after them. Looking from the tree, the boy hunters saw them cross an open s.p.a.ce some distance away and then plunge into the woods of the next hillside.

"That finished them," said Whopper, drawing a sigh of relief. "They are now thoroughly scared and I don't think they'll dare to come back."

Nevertheless, the boys remained in the tree for half an hour longer.

But the wolves were really gone, and at last they dropped to the ground.

"This ends hunting for to-day," remarked Giant. "It's too bad!"

"Well, we shot something," answered Whopper, grimly, and pointed to the wolves.

"What shall we do with them?"

"Leave them here. But no, let us take the smallest along. The meat will make good bait for the traps."

After that there was nothing to do but to start back for the camp, and this they did without further delay. It was a hard walk and they often stopped to rest. On the way they were fortunate enough to stir up some partridge and brought down three, and also got two rabbits.

"Well, we'll not go back empty-handed, after all," said Whopper.