of new arrivals in the shape of strange jackals, took upon himself to
catch Jinks by his foreleg, a mistake he had reason to regret, for
Jinks--who was abnormally strong, and possessed the peculiar little
excrescence shaped like a cone on his head, and which generally
denotes a leader of a pack--suddenly seized his opponent by his
throat, and refused to let go until he was dead. Then, shaking him as
though he had been a little terrier, he laid him down with a growl,
and looked round as much as to say:

"Now, then, who comes next?"

None of the jackals seemed to be particularly anxious, for now that
Jinks was standing among so many of his fellows, he found he was just
a little taller than any of them, and this little gave him. an immense
advantage. He snapped and bit one or two more just to show them he was
still ready to go on; but, although they all howled and screamed
again, they were not anxious to fight. The newcomer had killed their
leader, and they were afraid of him.

Jinks wasted no time. He had not stayed long enough in captivity to
become really tame or timid, and this one fight had made a jackal of
him, and he took care to let them know it. He was wildly excited, and
daring enough at that moment for anything, and his daring and
recklessness inspired the jackals with respect, and, in spite of a few
dissenting voices, Jinks promptly took the leadership of the pack
without more ado. It all came as natural to him as though he had been
a wild, free thing all his life, and dependent on his own resources
for food and shelter.

In that moment he forgot all his past life, and only realized that he