In the meantime Andy had been plying the whip with such precision that the foot of one of the wolves had been torn off and another wolf so badly lacerated that as it broke temporarily away Jamie dropped it with the rifle, and then shot the blind wolf which was now roaming aimlessly about.  A stroke from Doctor Joe’s axe dispatched the fifth animal, and the remaining wolf, now at the mercy of the dogs, was literally torn into shreds.

Hardly five minutes had elapsed from the moment Jamie discovered the pack trotting out of the woods until the fight was ended.  The attack had been made with such suddenness and such savage fierceness that Doctor Joe and the boys had scarcely uttered a word.

Now there was the tangle of dogs to be straightened out, and Andy was compelled to use his whip to drive them from the dead wolves and quiet them.  Hardly one of them had escaped injury from the wolf fangs, and Dick, a faithful old fellow, was so badly mangled that Andy cut him loose from the harness to follow the komatik home at his leisure.

[Illustration:  IT WAS A FIGHT TO THE DEATH]

“Dick’s too much hurt to do any hauling for a month whatever,” said Andy regretfully.

“He won’t die, will he?” asked Jamie sympathetically.

“He’ll get over un,” Andy assured.

“The dogs had grit, now!” Jamie boasted.  “There’s nary a team in the Bay could have fought like that!”

“And I noticed you had some grit too,” said Doctor Joe.  “A wolf’s fangs snapped within an inch of your leg, you young rascal, when you held the rifle against that fellow you shot.”

“I weren’t thinkin’ of that,” said Jamie.

One of the pelts was so badly torn by the dogs as to be valueless.  The remaining carcasses were skinned, and the skins lashed upon the sledge, and as they turned homeward Andy remarked: 

“There’s five good skins and they’ll bring four dollars apiece whatever.  ’Tweren’t a bad hunt when we weren’t huntin’.”

“You and Jamie can take the money you get for them and start a bank account,” suggested Doctor Joe.  “I’ll send it to St. John’s and put it in a bank for you, and then you’ll have that test completed for both the second and first class.  There’s no doubt you’ve earned it.”

“Will you, sir?  That’s fine now!” exclaimed Andy.  “Davy wasn’t with us, and he’ll have to set traps to earn his.  But he’ll get a marten or two, whatever.”

“There’s no doubt about David’s catching the martens,” said Doctor Joe.  “If there’s a marten around he’ll catch it.”

It was dark when they reached The Jug.  Margaret and David were quite excited when they heard the story of the adventure, and mighty pleased with its ending.

“’Twere a stray pack,” said David, “and they were hungry.  Pop had a pack come at he that way once, but they just took one of the dogs and ran off.”

A wonderful Christmas they had at The Jug that year.  Doctor Joe had no end of surprises stowed away in mysterious boxes that he had brought from New York and deposited in his old cabin at Break Cove.  He and David brought them over with the dogs on Christmas eve, and on Christmas morning they were opened.