126 WARWICK WOODLANDS. 



flame glanced from it, distinctly visible in the dim of morning 

 twilight, before my ear had caught the sound of the report, a 

 sharp long snarl rose from the thicket, announcing that a wolf 

 was wounded. Eagerly, keenly did I listen ; but there came no 

 further sound to tell me of his whereabout. 



" 4 I hit him,' shouted Garry, ' I hit him then, I swon ; but I 

 guess not so badly, but he can travel still. Look out you, 

 Archer, he's squatted in the thick there, and won't stir 'till they 

 get close a top on him.' 



" While he was speaking yet, a loud and startling shout arose 

 from the open field, announcing to my ear upon the instant that 

 one or more had broken covert at some unguarded spot, as it was 

 evident from the absence of any firing. The leader of our squad 

 was clearly of the same opinion ; for, motioning to us to spread 

 our line a little wider, he galloped off at a tremendous rate, 

 spurning the snowballs high into the air, accompanied by three 

 of his best men, to stop the gap which had been left through 

 the misapprehension of the Jersey man. 



" This he accomplished ; but not until the great wolf, wilier 

 than his comrades, had got off unharmed. He had not moved 

 five minutes before a small dark bitch-wolf broke away through 

 our line, at the angle furthest from my station, and drew a scat- 

 tering volley from more than half our men too rapid and too 

 random to be deadly though several of the balls struck close 

 about her, I thought she had got off scot free ; but Jem Mc- 

 Daniel whom you know a cool, old steady hand, had held 

 his fire, and taking a long quiet aim, lodged his ball fairly in 

 the centre of her shoulders over she went, and over, tearing 

 the snow with tooth and claw in her death agony ; while fancy- 

 ing, I suppose, that all our guns were emptied for, by my life, 

 I think the crafty brutes can almost reason out popped two 

 more ! one between me and my right hand man the other, a 

 large dog, dragging a wounded leg behind him, under my horse's 

 very feet. Bob made a curious demi-volte, I do assure you, as 

 the dark brindled villain darted between his fore legs with an 

 angry snarl ; bu,t at a single word and slight admonition of the 

 curb, stood motionless as though he had been carved in marble. 

 Quickly I brought my rifle up, though steadily enough, and 

 more, I fancy, by good luck than management planted my 

 bullet in the neck, just where the skull and spine unite, so that 

 he bounced three feet at least above the frozen snow, and fell 

 quite dead, within twelve paces of the covert. The other wolf, 



