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Show 129 of the malamute's?" Josh held his breath. Shoulders hunched, Courdelay strode to his pick-up. There he lifted one of Chinook's huge front feet and stared sullenly at it for a long minute. "Maybe. . . maybe it coulda been coyotes," he admitted. "But I thought since I'd seen him up here before. ..." "Oh, I don't suppose that will happen again," said Mr. Raintree. "Not as soon as Josh and I put some wire around the bottom of their fence to keep Chinook from digging out when he's not with the boy." Mr. Courdelay held out his hand. "I guess I was wrong, Josh. I'm sorry. And I'm glad for your dog." "An Alsatian, Mr. Courdelay," Raintree said with a slow nod. "That will do the job for you." "What?" "The great breed of dog known as the Alsatian, developed for stock care in Europe. He will patrol your herd all night. They're expensive, but they can cut your coyote losses to practically nil." Courdelay blinked in surprise. "I never heard of that." "Oh, it'll work, I'm sure," Abner Raintree assured with a wink. By the time they got in the truck for the ride back, Josh's spirits were soaring like an eagle. Nevertheless he and Cap were too tired to holler or do any celebrating. As they drove back through the mountains, Chinook stood with his face in the wind, tasting the September breeze. The smells that came to him from the distant peaks, from the lofty valleys above, stirred ancient ancestral memories that thundered across" the centuries. |