WARWICK WOODLANDS. 137 



quent discomfiture had somewhat suddenly dislodged him ; 

 so that, as I rolled over on the snow, I found myself 

 within six feet of my friend, seemingly very doubtful 

 whether to fight or fly I But, by good luck, my bullet had 

 struck him on the hip-bone, and being of a rather large 

 calibre, had let his claret pretty freely loose, besides shat- 

 tering the bone, so that he was but in poor fighting trim ; 

 and I had time to get back to the gray — who stood snort- 

 ing and panting, up to his knees in snow and rubbish, but 

 without offering to stir — to draw my second pistol, and 

 to give Isegrin — as the Germans call him — the coup de 

 grace, before he could attain the friendly shelter of the 

 dingle, to which with all due speed he was retreating. By 

 this time all our comrades had assembled. Loud was the glee 

 — boisterous the applause, which fell especially to me, who 

 had performed with my own hand the glorious feat of 

 slaying two wolves in one morning; and deep the cups of 

 applejack, Scotch whiskey, and Jamaica spirits, which 

 flowed in rich libations, according to the tastes of the 

 compotators, over the slaughtered quarry. 



"Breakfast was produced on the spot; cold salt pork, 

 onions, and hard biscuit forming the principal dishes, 

 washed down by nothing weaker than the pure ardent! 

 Not long, however, did fat Tom permit us to enjoy our 

 ease. 



"'Come, boys,' he shouted, 'no lazin' here; no gorman- 

 dizin' — the worst part of our work's afore us; the old 

 lame devil is afoot, and five miles off by now. We must 

 get back, and lay the hounds on, right stret off — and well 

 if the scent an't cold now! He's tuk right off toward 

 Duckcedars' — for so Tom ever calls Truxedo Pond — a 

 lovely crescent-shaped lakelet deep in the bosom of the 

 Greenwoods — 'so off with you, Jem, down by the road as 

 hard as you can strick with ten of your boys in sleighs, 

 and half the hounds; and if you find his tracks acrost 

 the road, don't wait for us, but strick right arter him. 

 You, Garry, keep stret down the old road with ten dogs 

 and all the plunder — we'll meet at night, I reckon." 



"No sooner said than done! the parties were sent off 

 with the relays. This was on Monday morning — Tom and 

 I, and some thirteen others, with eight couple of the best 

 dogs, stuck to his slot on foot. It was two hours at least, 



