WILD SPORT IN BRITTANY. 249 



him a hand as he dropped into the narrow arena occupied by the 

 two combatants. The Louvetier's couteau never missed its mark j 

 and with one stroke the gaunt wolf, though grip and grip with 

 old Caesar, fell dead at his feet. The fore-arm of the brute, on 

 being measured just below the elbow, proved to be no less than 

 ten inches in circumference, while the canine teeth, or holders, 

 independent of that larger portion buried in the socket, were at 

 least an inch and a half in length ; so sharp and formidable were 

 they, and so powerful were the jaws of the brute, that it was quite 

 a marvel how the hound escaped with his life. 



Then commenced the funeral obsequies of sounding the mort 

 over the prostrate carcase, now raised to the surface and stretched 

 out at full length on a table-rock hard by; and although the 

 Louvetier knew perfectly well how important it was to get on 

 with all despatch after the other wolf, he would as soon have 

 omitted this ceremony as a Galway peasant would a "wake" 

 over the body of some departed friend. But there was another 

 business claiming the immediate attention of the Louvetier 

 besides sounding the mort; that business was the extrication of 

 old Caesar, who lay bleeding and disabled in the fore-leg at the 

 bottom of the fissure into which he had followed the retreating 

 foe. This, however, was a far more difficult matter than might 

 be imagined. The hound had a surly, savage nature of his own, 

 and at the best of times would not suffer anyone to handle him 

 save his master or Louis Trefarreg. The latter had not yet 

 reached the death scene ; and as the several blasts, sounded 

 both by Keryfan and St. Prix, had failed to produce him, no 

 other hand but that of the Louvetier could venture to tackle the 

 old warrior in his present condition. So, as time was precious, 

 St. Prix, running the thong of his whip through the keeper, and 

 descending into the pit, adjusted the loop gently and carefully 

 over the hound's head ; then twisting the thong securely round 

 the handle, which Keryfan and I grasped simultaneously from 



