Snap 
Dogs they were. Their distant intention no 
doubt was to dash right at the old Wolf; but his 
fearless front, his sinewy frame and death-deal- 
ing jaws, awed them long before they were 
near him, and they also joined the ring, while 
the desperado in the middle faced this way and 
that, ready for any or all. 
Now the Danes came up, huge-limbed crea- 
tures, any one of them as heavy as the Wolf. I 
heard their heavy breathing tighten into a 
threatening sound as they plunged ahead, eager 
to tear the foe to pieces; but when they saw 
him there, grim, fearless, mighty of jaw, tireless 
of limb, ready to die if need be, but sure of this, 
he would not die alone—well, those great 
Danes—all three of them—were stricken, as 
the rest had been, with a sudden bashfulness : 
yes, they would go right in presently —not now, 
but as soon as they had got their breath; they 
were not afraid of a Wolf, oh, no. I could 
read their courage in their voices. They knew 
perfectly well that the first Dog to go in was 
going to get hurt, but never mind that—pres- 
ently; they would bark a little more to get up 
enthusiasm. 
