WILD SPORT IN BRITTANY. 69 



driving desperately. "If badly hit, he can't last long at that 

 pace." 



" He is an hour ahead of them," rejoined St. Prix, "and will 

 keep going so long as life lasts," 



We now rode to head the chase, safe, at least for a time, from 

 the random shots of the peasants, many of whom still lingered 

 behind, feasting their eyes on the carcase of the fallen wolf, while 

 the remainder straggled on, unposted, in the rear of the hounds; 

 but ever, as we reached the far side of this great cover, the wolf, 

 shirking the edge of it, doubled back for its innermost depths, 

 and again and again threw us out, and baffled St. Prix's hope of 

 being able to help his hounds with his couteau-de-chasse in the 

 last savage struggle. An accident now occurred to Kergoorlas 

 that I greatly marvel did not end more seriously. His horse put 

 his fore legs into a badger's earth, and almost turned a summer- 

 sault on his rider. The latter, however, as luck would have it, 

 fell on a heap of soft, newly-excavated earth, and, although he 

 smashed his horn flat as an opera-hat, he escaped with only a few 

 bruises. 



I was hastening towards him with the view of rendering 

 all the assistance in my power, when I heard the hounds throw 

 up and the cry suddenly cease, and at once all was quiet as the 

 lull after a raging storm. Kergoorlas heard it too, and, casting 

 his horse's snaffle-rein over the stump of a blackthorn, dashed 

 on foot into the cover like a foxhound running for blood. St. 

 Prix's head, about a hundred yards in front of us, was still 

 visible above the scrub ; and, with that for our guide, Kergoorlas 

 and I together forced our way as best we could towards the 

 heart of the cover. Before, however, we could reach the very 

 spot, the angry growl of the hounds worrying the wolf fell on our 

 ears. Then came the fighting, tearing, and death-struggle of 

 the powerful brute, and with it the occasional shrieking howl 

 of a hound lamed or maimed for life. It was barely half a 



