THIRTEENTH DAY. 209 



amused ; but he, alas ! immediately left the rendezvous and 

 hurried off to his post a good half-hour too soon, for a noble 

 thirst for the battle and a longing to measure himself in single 

 combat with the Wolf seemed to leave him no peace. He was 

 also armed to the teeth, for, besides a variety of knives and 

 daggers, he carried with great spirit and dignity a long antique 

 muzzle-loader, such as was formerly used for duck-shooting, 

 the brave fellow being evidently prepared for the most terrible 

 encounters. 



The numerous tracks one sees in the sand and damp loamy 

 soil, as well as the remains of mangled lambs, give evident 

 proof that large numbers of wolves do exist in these districts; 

 and the great dread which all the natives have of these 

 ravenous wild beasts is a clear indication of the regularity 

 with which they carry on their depredations, for wolves only 

 become impudent and commit open robberies when they are 

 in troops and feel quite at home. 



Our chances therefore of a successful drive did not look so 

 doubtful until we saw the noisy disorderly gang of sportsmen 

 with the above-mentioned forester as manager ; for, like most 

 Hungarian foresters, this man understood nothing about his 

 business, and neither knew his ground nor what game it held ; 

 indeed it was with the greatest astonishment that he learned 

 from us that eagles existed in this neighbourhood, and he 

 proudly told us that, in his capacity of forester, he did not 

 trouble himself about the game, but only about the wood. 

 Unfortunately these wretched forests also bore the stamp of 

 his careful handling. 



Brehm soon drove up to the rendezvous from his excursion 

 among the marshes, where he had again found the Penduline 

 Tits, and after a further study of them had shot and brought 

 them back, together with their marvellously constructed nest, 

 a capital and interesting achievement, which he had supple- 

 mented by bagging a heron. A little later Bombelles and 



