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 tnese 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. 
