114 THE PINE-TREE, OR 



every energy of mind and body was exerted for my escape. I 

 was perfectly at home on the ice. Many were the days I spent 

 on my skates, never thinking that at one time they would be my 

 only means of safety. Every half minute an alternate yelp from 

 my pursuers made me but too certain they were close at my 

 heels. Nearer and nearer they came ; I heard their feet patter- 

 ing on the ice nearer still, until I fancied I could hear their 

 deep breathing. Every nerve and muscle in my frame was 

 stretched to the utmost tension. 



" The trees along the shore seemed to dance in the uncertain 

 light, and my brain turned with my own breathless speed ; yet 

 still they seemed to hiss forth with a sound truly horrible, when 

 an involuntary motion on my part turned me out of my course. 

 The wolves close behind, unable to stop and as unable to turn, 

 slipped, fell, still going on far ahead, their tongues lolling out, 

 their white tushes gleaming from their bloody mouths, their dark, 

 shaggy breasts freckled with foam ; and as they passed me their 

 eyes glared, and they howled with rage and fury. The thought 

 flashed on my mind that by this means I could avoid them, viz., by 

 turning aside whenever they came too near ; for they, by the for- 

 mation of their feet, are unable to run on ice except on a right line. 



" I immediately acted on this plan. The wolves, having re- 

 gained their feet, sprang directly toward me. The race was re- 

 newed for twenty yards up the stream; they were already close 

 on my back, when I glided round and dashed past my pursuers. 

 A fierce growl greeted my evolution, and the wolves slipped upon 

 their haunches and sailed onward, presenting a perfect picture 

 of helplessness and baffled rage. Thus I gained nearly a hundred 

 yards each turning. This was repeated two or three times, every 

 moment the wolves getting more excited and baffled, until, com- 

 ing opposite the house, a couple of stag-hounds, aroused by the 

 noise, bayed furiously from their kennels. The wolves, taking 

 the hint, stopped in their mad career, and after a moment's con- 



