206 SIR VICTOR BROOKE 



CHAP. 



towards Geroa-el-Foal and saw nothing, ditto at the bait 

 which I visited at six o'clock. 



EGYPT, 1889. 



Red Letter Day, 2nd February, Breakfasted at 

 eight, and went round by the bait and the rocks the 

 latter for a fox, but saw nothing at the bait, which 

 had been much eaten. I found that the majority of 

 tracks led away towards Abooseer, so, seeing how late 

 they were coming to the bait, I determined in the 

 afternoon to take the Sheikh and try a flank move- 

 ment, and catch them amongst their fastnesses half an 

 hour or so before dusk, when they would be sure to be 

 on the move. Accordingly at three the little horse 

 came round, and I rode off towards Abooseer, entering 

 the real desert at the spot I had seen the large wolf on 

 the 28th ult. I stole up the little wadies, cantering 

 wherever I could save time, and still look the ground 

 well. I saw tracks here and there, but not a great 

 many. I had been at this about half an hour, and was 

 getting near the tableland sort of ridge, when in 

 cantering up a sandy wady, with low pebbly ridges on 

 each side, I came suddenly on the top of two wolves. 

 I was within 50 yards of them. One was sitting on 

 his tail, with his back to me, at the foot of a conical 

 knobby, on the top of which the other was lying. I 

 pulled the horse almost on to his haunches in stopping, 

 but the wolf on the top of the knobby saw me, and was 

 round the back like oil. I crammed my spurs into the 

 Sheikh and rushed for the wolf sitting up, and had 

 nearly halved the distance when he saw and heard me, 

 and flew. He went straight up the wady, and I 

 followed him, and did not lose, but rather gained. Just 

 as I got to the crest of the hill I saw the other wolf 

 to my left, quite as near and in better ground, and I 

 saw at a glance that he was an enormous old wolf, 



