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 the girl and protect her with his love; the wolf hungered to reach Brent and fall upon him with murderous hate. So often in the past one extreme had been swayed from its course by the opposing force of the other. Now, for the first time in his life, both combined to drive him on and on over the trail from which nothing but death could shake him.

Their course led along the ridge which stretched to the low divide between the Thoroughfare and the Yellowstone. It was rougher but much shorter and more direct than the longer trail through the bottoms by way of the forks. On the divide they had stopped long until Brent was satisfied that Nash was lost. But Flash did not stop, and he found the trail much warmer as the plunged down the far slope. The roar of the fight at the canyon thundered in his ears as he ran. It had ceased when he reached the bottoms. The two he followed had forded the Yellowstone and the trail led straight away to the mouth of Atlantic Creek. It was warm and still slippery from the water which dripped from their soggy clothing.

While still a mile from the mouth Flash heard a single shot from a short distance up the creek-