WILD SPORT 'IN BRITTANY. 17 



piqueurs, taking the wolf by the hind legs, dragged him into an 

 open space ; no mean effort of strength, by-the-bye, inasmuch as 

 two couple of hounds, at least, were hanging on to the wolf's 

 throat with the grip of a blacksmith's vice. 



A finer woodland run and a more satisfactory finish it would 

 be difficult to conceive j the hounds did their work nobly, and St. 

 Prix handled them as if he had made, as he has done, the habits 

 of the wolf and the instinct of the hound the study of his life. 

 Congratulations poured in upon him thickly ; and well might he 

 be proud of the day's success. But, alas ! there was another 

 side to the happy picture on which he was feasting his soul : two 

 or three of his leading hounds had been seriously injured in the 

 last struggle ; one, bitten across the loins, trailed his hind legs 

 after him, a paralyzed and piteous object to behold ; the other 

 limped along with her fore-leg broken at the elbow ; the wolf's 

 teeth had crushed the bone, as a boy's would an Oliver biscuit ; 

 the shattered bits absolutely rattled as the poor hound hobbled 

 forward to lick her master's hand and claim the sympathy she so 

 well deserved. 



" Ah, Ravisante," he said, despondingly, " is this thy sad fate 

 at last? Far rather would I have lost any hound in my pack 

 than thee, my old companion and true ally." 



It is no figure of speech to say that St. Prix's eyes were 

 brimming with tears as he turned away from the painful sight. 

 Keryfan then stepped forward, and conferring with him a minute 

 or so, a piqueur was ordered to lead away gently the two disabled 

 hounds ; and, before the last wolf was secured to the back of the 

 terrified horse, destined to bear him to the Mairie, two distant 

 shots were heard in the cover below the death-boom of those 

 gallant hounds. 



It has been already remarked that these hounds were big, 

 powerful animals, wire-haired, deep-tongued, carrying a grand 

 head, and supported by plenty of bone ; yet, with these old- 



c 



