THE DARKIE FIDDLER. 449 
when the Indians roamed it, and was untraversed by a wagon 
road for many miles. 
The profound and dreary solitude of the way could not 
have failed to impress any one who was not either more or 
less than human, except under conditions of entire pre-occupa- 
tion in one absorbing thought, such as now held absolutely 
the body and soul of the old man, in the strained tension 
of an anxious hurry to reach the seat of: operations, in exact 
time. He was goaded at every step by the maddening vision. 
of the expectant ranks of sable gentility, rolling the whites 
of their eyes and stamping their stocking feet upon the 
puncheon floor, impatient of his delay; for the truth was, 
that he had lingered a little too long over the polishing of 
those brass buttons and the setting of that plentitude of 
collar, and he now first became conscious of it as he had 
come forth beneath the moon and perceived its unexpected 
height above the horizon. 
On he dashed with unrelaxing energy, heedless of the 
black shadows and hideous night-cries in the deep forest. 
Wolves were howling around him in every direction, but he 
paid no attention to sounds that were so common. However, 
he was soon compelled to give more heed to these animals 
than was by any means pleasing or expected. He had now 
made nearly half of his journey, and the light opening ahead 
through the trees showed him the “old clearing,” as it was 
called, through which his path led. The wolves had been 
getting excessively noisy for the last mile; and to the 
undescribable horror of the old man, he could hear them. 
gathering about him in the crackling bushes on either side, 
as they ran along to keep pace with his rapid steps. The 
woods very soon seemed to the old man to be literally alive 
with them, as they gathered in yelling packs from far and 
near. 
Wolves are cautious about attacking 2 human being at 
29 
