SKATER CHASED BY WOLVES. 457 
. With their long gallop, which can tite 
The deer-hound’s hate, the hunter’s ire,” 
they pursue their prey—never straying from the track of 
their victim—and as the wearied hunter thinks that he has 
at last outstripped them, he finds -that.they but waited for 
the evening to. seize’ their prey, and falls.a prize to the tireless 
animals. 
The bushes ‘that skirted the shore flew past with the 
velocity of lightning, as I dashed on in my flight to pass 
the narrow opening. The outlet was nearly gained; one 
second more and I would be comparatively safe, when my 
pursuers appeared on the bank above me, which here rose 
to the height of ten feet. There was no time for thought, so 
I bent my head and dashed madly forward. The wolves 
‘sprang, but miscalculating my speed, fell behind, while their 
intended prey glided out upon the river. 
-Nature turned me towards home. The light flakes of 
snow spun from the iron of my skates, and I was some 
distance from my pursuers, when their fierce howl told me 
I was still their fugitive. I did not look back, I did not 
feel afraid, or sorry, or glad; one thought of home, of the 
bright faces awaiting my return, and of their tears if they 
never should see me, and then every energy of body and 
mind were exerted for escape, Iwas perfectly at home on 
the ice. Many were the days that I spent on my good 
skates, never thinking that at one time they. would be my 
only means of safety. Every half minute an alternate yelp 
from ‘my fierce attendants made me but too certain that they 
were in close pursuit. Nearer and nearer they came; I 
heard their feet pattering on the ice nearer still, until I 
could feel their breath and hear their snuffing scent. Every 
nerve and muscle in my frame was stretched to the utmost 
tension. 
The trees along the shore seemed to dance in an unce;tain 
light, and my brain turned with my own breathless speed, 
