men picked it up. It neither squealed nor resisted. Then Jake, realizing
ever the importance of "standing in with the boss," said: "Say, let's
keep that 'un for the children." So the last of the family was thrown
alive into the same bag with its dead brothers, and, bruised and
frightened, lay there very still, understanding nothing, knowing only
that after a long time of great noise and cruel jolting it was again
half strangled by a grip on its neck and dragged out, where were a lot
of creatures like the diggers.

These were really the inhabitants of the Chimneypot Ranch, whose brand
is the Broad-arrow; and among them were the children for whom the cub
had been brought. The boss had no difficulty in getting Jake to accept
the dollar that the cub Coyote would have brought in bounty-money,
and his present was turned over to the children. In answer to their
question, "What is it?" a Mexican cow-hand, present said it was a
Coyotito--that is, a "little Coyote,"--and this, afterward shortened to
"Tito," became the captive's name.

[Illustration]




II


Tito was a pretty little creature, with woolly body, a puppy-like
expression, and a head that was singularly broad between the ears.

But, as a children's pet, she--for it proved to be a female--was not a