198 A MONTH IN THE FORESTS OF FRANCE. 



When seated in the hole, having made himself com- 

 fortable, he stretched out his arms in order to clear a 

 view, and parted twigs and long grass, when, oh 

 horror! — or rather excitement and horror! — at the 

 very same moment a huge wolf, no doubt wishing to 

 occupy the grassy hole with an idea similar to that in 

 the head of his foe, peeped into the bushes from the 

 outer side, and met the blouse, not only vis-a-vis, but 

 absolutely nose to nose ! It is impossible to say 

 which was the most astonished, the man or the wolf; 

 but the former, clutching at his gun, let it off, and 

 the wolf, unharmed, leaped clean over the barrel of 

 the aimless firearm, and vanished in a cloud of smoke, 

 followed by a much better directed volley of oaths at 

 his escape from the startled and disappointed gunner, 

 who continued to rattle out r-r-r's and blasphemy for 

 the space of half-an-hour, mingled with regrets at the 

 loss of the reward paid by the government for any 

 wolf's head. , 



As it is always pleasing to me to tell of a gallant 

 act in a brother sportsman, let him be of whatsoever 

 rank or country he may, I will narrate one of the old 

 keeper whose faithful report brought us upon this 

 boar. If I remember rightly, he was at that time 

 living as huntsman with a gentleman, and his hounds 

 had brought a solitary old boar to bay. In making 



