Wolves and Wolf-Hounds. 405 



behind, the blood running from its flanks, while the two 

 greyhounds were racing after it ; and at the same moment 

 the track-hounds and the big dogs burst out of the thicket, 

 yelling savagely as they struck the bloody trail. The 

 wolf was hard hit, and staggered as he ran. He did not 

 have a hundred yards' start of the dogs, and in less than 

 a minute one of the greyhounds ranged up and passed him 

 with a savage snap that brought him too ; and before he 

 could recover the whole pack rushed at him. Weakened as 

 he was he could make no effective fight against so many 

 foes, and indeed had a chance for but one or two rapid 

 snaps before he was thrown down and completely covered 

 by the bodies of his enemies. Yet with one of these snaps 

 he did damage, as a shrill yell told, and in a second an 

 over-rash track-hound came out of the struggle with a deep 

 gash across his shoulders. The worrying, growling, and 

 snarling were terrific, but in a minute the heaving mass 

 grew motionless and the dogs drew off, save one or two 

 that still continued to worry the dead wolf as it lay stark 

 and stiff with glazed eyes and rumpled fur. 



No sooner were we satisfied that it was dead than the 

 Judge, with cheers and oaths and crackings of his whip, 

 urged the dogs after the other wolf. The two greyhounds 

 that had been with old man Prindle had fortunately not 

 been able to see the wolves when they first broke from 

 the cover, and never saw the wounded wolf at all, starting 

 off at full speed after the unwounded one the instant he 

 topped the crest of the hill. He had taken advantage of 

 a slight hollow and turned, and now the chase was cross- 

 ing us half a mile away. With whip and spur we flew 



