CAPTAIN DAN HENRIE. 443 



in the sight of woods. But, alas, poor horse ! They have 

 reached the timber, but scarcely a hundred rods have been 

 passed over, when the faithful creature gives out ; and after 

 a few ineffectual efforts still to obey the urging spur, can only 

 lean against the trunk of a tree, and pant and groan with 

 exhaustion. Dan ascends the tree, tying the lariat of his 

 horse to one of the lower limbs. He then loaded his arms 

 in the forlorn hope of defending him if they came up. All 

 was still as death, but the loud panting of the exhausted 

 animal. He ascended higher to look out for the approach 

 of the wolves, for he had a faint hope that they had given 

 up the chase. But, alas ! his heart sinks again. There they 

 come, the long yellowish looking train : and several large 

 white wolves have joined them now. He knows well the 

 tameless and pitiless ferocity of these red-eyed monsters, 

 and feels that his true, his noble horse, must go ! 



Now he can hear their cry ! They are in the woods. 

 The poor horse shivers — looks back, and utters that wild 

 and wailing neigh, as they rush upon him in a body. Dan 

 fires down among them ; but what avail is it! In a twink- 

 ling, his gallant beast is down, and has been torn to atoms ! 

 The halter of the lariat hangs empty beside the tree. 



Now they lie panting around the foot of the tree, with 

 their fiery eyes turned wistfully up at him — for the horse 

 had been only a mouthful a piece. Whenever he makes a 

 movement, they rise with eager yells, and leap up towards 

 him, as if to meet his fall. Dan says, that in the utter 

 and dreadfully hopeless desperation of his position now, a 

 grotesque sort of humor possessed him of a sudden, and 

 he commenced deliberately firing down at the red glaring 

 eyeballs of the white wolves, and would roar with laughter, 

 and fairly dance upon his ticklish perch with glee, when he 

 saw the creature tumble over with a shrill death-cry; and 

 then the whole pack rush on it and tear it into shreds in an 

 instant, with gnashing cries. 



