186 NEIGHBOURS UNKNOWN 



ant moments nothing appeared. Then at 

 last, through the driving flakes, they caught 

 sight of several gaunt, leaping forms, grey 

 and shadowy, which swept down upon them 

 in silence out of the storm. 



With terrible suddenness and speed they 

 came, these leaping forms, as if they would 

 hurl themselves blindly upon the massed 

 herd But the line of lowered horns never 

 flinched or wavered, and with a short snarl 

 from their leader the wolves swerved, just in 

 time to escape a savage thrust from the old 

 bull. They swerved, strung out into line, and 

 went loping round the circle, their narrowed, 

 greenish, merciless eyes glaring into the 

 obstinate ones of the musk-oxen. Again 

 and again they circled the rampart of horns, 

 again and again they drew off and swept up 

 furiously to the assault, hoping to find some 

 weak point in the defences some timorous 

 young cow who would shrink and swerve at 

 their assault and open a breach in the line. 

 But there was no cow in that herd afflicted 

 with any such suicidal folly. The snow-spot- 

 ted, lowering line of heads waited unshaken, 

 and presently the wolves there were seven 

 of them bunched together a few paces from 

 the circle and seemed to consider. Two of 

 them sat down upon their haunches with 



