vi THE WOLVES HAVE THE BEST OF IT 167 



a telescope, but managed it safely, with exception of 

 a rent of great length in my trousers. I thought a 

 little music might be good for the wolves, so sung 

 them a song, and growled a bit at them as I passed. 

 I am sure they were standing on Patoglino hill looking 

 at me. With difficulty, the darkness was so great, I 

 found the road and got to Orrigo, who was at the cart 

 saddle. He had never heard a sound, which shows 

 how wonderfully the sound is checked by rivers and 

 hollows, for it was loud enough to hear 5 miles off, and 

 he was not more than half a mile. 



Wednesday, ^th. As I knew it was useless going to 

 look after my friends in the morning, after the long liberty 

 of the night, I took a sleep. Orrigo and Cacceaton 

 went to look for hares, but were driven back by the 

 tremendous rain. I took a cup of tea in bed, and 

 afterwards, at 8 A.M., went with Orrigo to see what 

 had taken place at Patoglino during the night. We 

 found the Morghi donkey, which was most decomposed, 

 had vanished. It was carried (not dragged, for there 

 was not a sign of a drag on the snow) bodily off. We 

 searched the gorges of Patoglino and Pegailure in all 

 directions. Here we found tracks coming and going, 

 crossing and recrossing. It was not till next day that 

 we found out the truth. Instead of dragging- the two 

 halves of the carcase down as we had expected, the 

 powerful brutes had carried the two heavy mouthfuls 

 up, one on to the top of Patoglino, and the other over 

 and into the young Scotch wood on its northern slope. 

 Here we found the skull, cervical vertebra, and one 

 rib. All round the snow was soiled and a way beaten 

 through it, with the tracks of wolves coming and going. 

 On each patch of snow in the open wood on the hill 

 of Patoglino we found their tracks passing to and fro, 

 evidently in vidette parties. As far as I could gather 



