Coyote. It was sounded once, and then all was still. Jake soon forgot it
in his loggish slumber.

The callers were Tito and Saddleback. The challenge was not an empty
bluff. It had a distinct purpose behind it--to know for sure whether the
enemy had any dogs with him; and because there was no responsive bark
Tito knew that he had none.

Then Tito waited for an hour or so till the flickering fire had gone
dead, and the only sound of life about the camp was the cropping of the
grass by the picketed Horse. Tito crept near softly, so softly that the
Horse did not see her till she was within twenty feet; then he gave a
start that swung the tightened picket-rope up into the air, and snorted
gently. Tito went quietly forward, and opening her wide gape, took the
rope in, almost under her ears, between the great scissor-like back
teeth, then chewed it for a few seconds. The fibres quickly frayed, and,
aided by the strain the nervous Horse still kept up, the last of the
strands gave way, and the Horse was free. He was not much alarmed; he
knew the smell of Coyote; and after jumping three steps and walking six,
he stopped.

The sounding thumps of his hoofs on the ground awoke the sleeper. He
looked up, but, seeing the Horse standing there, he went calmly off to
sleep again, supposing that all went well.

Tito had sneaked away, but she now returned like a shadow, avoided the
sleeper, but came around, sniffed doubtfully at the coffee, and then
puzzled over a tin can, while Saddleback examined the frying-pan full of
"camp-sinkers" and then defiled both cakes and pan with dirt. The bridle
hung on a low bush; the Coyotes did not know what it was, but just for