Skipper Thomas laughed—as a man will at a woman's fears.
"No sheep's manners t' that pack," he drawled. "The team's all dawg."
"What isn't wolf!" the woman retorted.
"She've been afraid o' that Cracker," Skipper Thomas explained, "ever since he fetched a brace o' wolves out o' the timber. 'Twas as queer a sight, now, as ever you seed, sir. They hung round the harbour for a day an' a night. You might think, sir, that Cracker was showin' off his new quarters t' some friends from the back country. They two wolves seemed t' have knowed Cracker all their lives. I 'low that they had knowed——"
"He's half wolf hisself."
"I 'low he's all wolf," Skipper Thomas admitted. This was not true. Cracker was not all wolf. "I never heard o' nobody that knowed where Cracker was born. That dog come in from the timber."
"A wicked crew—the pack o' them!"
"We've had a lean winter at Tight Cove, sir," said Skipper Thomas. "The dogs have gone marvellous hungry this past month, sir. They're just a wee bit savage."
"Spare your dog meat if you lack it," the Doctor advised. "I'll feed that team at Our Harbour."
Teddy Brisk put in: