470 SANGUINARY ONSLAUGHTS. 



Looking around, she saw the poor creature in the jaws of an 

 immense wolf, who was dragging her up the face of a rather 

 precipitous acclivity at some fifty paces' distance. The beast 

 had hold of the girl crosswise by the thigh ; but as she was 

 tall for her age, and heavy, and the ground slippery, and he 

 in consequence unable to carry her, he would swing her half 

 round, as it were, in advance; and when he had thus got 

 his burthen a little before him, step forward a pace or two 

 and repeat the manoeuvre. 



"As soon as the poor mother saw the dreadful situation 

 of her child, she rushed distracted to the spot, whereupon 

 the wolf dropped his victim. But as the beast only moved 

 to a few paces' distance, where with distended jaws, and 

 pendent tongue dripping blood, he stood eyeing her fixedly, 

 the exhausted parent could not aid the sufferer until such 

 time as she obtained assistance. Whilst hastening to the 

 spot, she thought she once heard the child exclaim Jan, the 

 name of her young brother. The mother's cries soon 

 brought the servant-maid, who was armed with a stout 

 stake, to her aid, on which the wolf moved somewhat far- 

 ther off. The mother now fell on her knees, and clasped 

 her daughter in her arms ; their eyes met for the last 

 time, for after uttering a single sigh, the girl breathed her 

 last. 



" Soon after the catastrophe, the man-servant, who had 

 been absent from the house, returned and assisted in bearing 

 home the corpse ; of which mournful ceremony the wolf, who 

 had remained stationary all the time, was a spectator. This 

 beast was described as very large, and of a light brindled- 

 grey colour. On the following day it was found that he 

 had torn up the ice where he had been deprived of his 



