All his old life lay low beneath him in a thicker air and in a deeper night.

He had climbed out of it to a lonely height, perhaps, but a free one.

The wind, coming off the mountain top, curled his tail along his flank.

He turned and put his head into it, already refreshed for more climbing.

There was a strange scent in that wind, a rank, keen odor that would have stopped him instantly had he been wiser in the life of the wilderness.