choking upon the prairie. Her mate paused, looked back, and gave up the
chase. But dire vengeance overtook them, for, like one possessed, the
girl fell upon them with her quirt and beat them one after the other
till, in pity for the brutes, I interposed.

"They shall do as I say or I shall kill them! I shall kill them!" she
cried, raging and stamping.

"Better shoot them," I suggested, pulling out my pistol.

Immediately she flung herself upon the one that moaned and whined at her
feet, crying:

"If you dare! If you dare!" Then she burst into passionate sobbing.
"You bad Loo! You bad, dear old Loo! But you WERE bad--you KNOW you
were bad!" and so she went on with her arms about Loo's neck till Loo,
whining and quivering with love and delight, threatened to go quite
mad, and Wolf, standing majestically near, broke into short howls of
impatience for his turn of caressing. They made a strange group, those
three wild things, equally fierce and passionate in hate and in love.

Suddenly the girl remembered me, and standing up she said, half ashamed:

"They always obey ME. They are MINE, but they kill any strange thing
that comes in through the gate. They are allowed to."

"It is a pleasant whim."

"What?"