"I'll go along," and the doctor's son sprang up and reached for his own firearm.
When Whopper got outside again, followed by Shep, he saw the wolves had approached still closer. There were now seven of them, and they stood in a semi-circle, sniffing the air suspiciously. The man-smell was strong, and this they did not like, for to them it betokened only danger. Yet mingled with the man-smell was the smell of chicken and rabbit meat, and this pleased them, for they were hungry.
"Let us both fire together," suggested Shep. "Each of us ought to bring down at least one. You can fire to the right and I'll fire to the left of the line."
"All right."
They took careful aim, and at the word from Whopper each pulled the trigger of his shotgun.
Bang! Bang!
The two guns spoke up in rapid succession, and as the smoke cleared away it was seen that two of the wolves lay on the ice, twisting and turning in their death agonies. The others were scuttling away, one limping painfully.
"Hullo, what's up?" came from Snap, as he rushed from the shelter, followed by Giant. "What are you firing at?"
"We just brought down a couple of wolves," answered Whopper, with considerable satisfaction in his tone.
"Wolves!" ejaculated Giant. "I didn't think they'd find us as early as this."