“We’ll pay you two dollars a day—and furnish you with supplies,” she assured him soberly.—Frontispiece. See page 122.
SHEPHERDS OF
THE WILD
By EDISON MARSHALL
Author of
“The Snowshoe Trail,” “The Voice of the Pack,”
“The Strength of the Pines,” etc.
A. L. BURT COMPANY
Publishers New York
Published by arrangement with Little, Brown and Company
Printed in U. S. A.
Copyright, 1922,
By Little, Brown, and Company.
——
Published February, 1922
Printed in the United States of America
Shepherds of the Wild
CHAPTER I
The mouth of the canyon was darkened withshadows when the bull elk came stealing down thebrown trail through the dusky thicket. In all thismountain realm, a land where the wild thingsof the forest still held sway, there was no creatureof more majestic bearing or noble beauty. Hewas full-grown; his great antlers swept back overhis powerful shoulders; and it was evident fromhis carriage that he had no fear of such enemiesas might be lurking in the gloomy canyon. Forit was known far through the forest that even thegreat puma or the terrible grizzly, unless theyhad the advantage of ambush, treated SpreadHorn with considerable respect.
Signs of July were everywhere: signs thatwere large print and clear to the eyes of the wildcreatures, but which would have been mostly unintelligibleto men. The huckleberries were justbeginning to ripen in the thickets as always, inthe seventh month. The fledglings, the littleweasel noticed as he climbed here and therethrough the branches, w