THIRTEENTH DAY. 209 
amused ; but he, alas! immediately left the rendezvous and 
hurried off to his post a good half-hour too soon, for a noble 
thirst for the battle and a longing to measure himself in single 
combat with the Wolf seemed to leave him no peace. He was 
also armed to the teeth, for, besides a variety of knives and 
daggers, he carried with great spirit and dignity a long antique 
muzzle-loader, such as was formerly used for duck-shooting, 
the brave fellow being evidently prepared for the most terrible 
encounters. 
The numerous tracks one sees in the sand and damp loamy 
soil, as well as the remains of mangled lambs, give evident 
proof that large numbers of wolves do exist in these districts; 
and the great dread which all the natives have of these 
ravenous wild beasts is a clear indication of the regularity 
with which they carry on their depredations, for wolves only 
become impudent and commit open robberies when they are 
in troops and feel quite at home. 
Our chances therefore of a successful drive did not look so 
doubtful until we saw the noisy disorderly gang of sportsmen 
with the above-mentioned forester as manager ; for, like most 
Hungarian foresters, this man understood nothing about his 
business, and neither knew his ground nor what game it held ; 
indeed it was with the greatest astonishment that he learned 
from us that eagles existed in this neighbourhood, and he 
proudly told us that, in his capacity of forester, he did not 
trouble himself about the game, but only about the wood. 
Unfortunately these wretched forests also bore the stamp of 
his careful handling. 
Brehm soon drove up to the rendezvous from his excursion 
among the marshes, where he had again found the Penduline 
Tits, and after a further study of them had shot and brought 
them back, together with their marvellously constructed nest, 
a capital and interesting achievement, which he had supple- 
mented by bagging a heron. A little later Bombelles and 
P 
