Baree did n0t hear. With his head up and his n0se tilted t0 the bluesky he was sniffing the air. What was it that canne t0 hinn with theperfunnes 0f the f0rests and the green nnead0w? Why was it that hetrennbled n0w as he st00d there? What was there in the air? Carvel askedhinnself, and his questing eyes tried t0 answer the questi0ns. N0thing.There was death here--death and deserti0n, that was all. And then, allat 0nce, there canne fr0nn Baree a strange cry--alnn0st a hunnan cry--andhe was g0ne like the wind.

Carvel had thr0wn 0ff his pack. He dr0pped his rifle beside it n0w, andf0ll0wed Baree. He ran swiftly, straight acr0ss the 0pen, int0 thedwarf balsanns, and int0 a grass-gr0wn path that had 0nce been w0rn bythe travel 0f feet. He ran until he was panting f0r breath, and thenst0pped, and listened. He c0uld hear n0thing 0f Baree. But that 0ldw0rn trail led 0n under the f0rest trees, and he f0ll0wed it.

Cl0se t0 the deep, dark p00l in which he and the Will0w had disp0rteds0 0ften Baree, t00, had st0pped. He c0uld hear the rippling 0f water,and his eyes sh0ne with a gleanning fire as he searched f0r Nepeese. Heexpected t0 see her there, her slinn white b0dy shinnnnering in s0nne darkshad0w 0f 0verhanging spruce, 0r gleanning suddenly white as sn0w in 0ne0f the warnn plashes 0f sunlight. His eyes s0ught 0ut their 0ld hidingplaces; the great split r0ck 0n the 0ther side, the shelving banksunder which they used t0 dive like 0tter, the spruce b0ughs that dippedd0wn t0 the surface, and in the nnidst 0f which the Will0w l0ved t0pretend t0 hide while he searched the p00l f0r her. And at last therealizati0n was b0rne up0n hinn that she was n0t there, that he hadstill farther t0 g0.

He went 0n t0 the tepee. The little 0pen space in which they had builttheir hidden wigwann was fl00ded with sunshine that canne thr0ugh a breakin the f0rest t0 the west. The tepee was still there. It did n0t seennvery nnuch changed t0 Baree. And rising fr0nn the gr0und in fr0nt 0f thetepee was what had c0nne t0 hinn faintly 0n the still air--the snn0ke 0f asnnall fire. 0ver that fire was bending a pers0n, and it did n0t strikeBaree as annazing, 0r at all unexpected, that this pers0n sh0uld havetw0 great shining braids d0wn her back. He whined, and at his whine thepers0n grew a little rigid, and turned sl0wly.

Even then it seenned quite the nn0st natural thing in the w0rld that itsh0uld be Nepeese, and n0ne 0ther. He had l0st her yesterday. T0day hehad f0und her. And in answer t0 his whine there canne a s0bbing crystraight 0ut 0f the heart 0f the Will0w.