264 
THE WOLF. 
poor things! but morning came at last, just 
as it always does after the longest night, 
and the wolves disappeared. The neigh¬ 
bours got up a hunt the next day and killed 
several of them; and it turned out that there 
was a large pack.” 
“I didn’t know that wolves had so much 
courage,” observed Kate. “I thought they 
were very cowardly creatures.” 
“ They are so in general, unless they are 
very hungry or there are a grea4 many to¬ 
gether ; but when there is a pack of them 
they get very bold and savage, and are then 
as dangerous as any wild beast at all. When 
this country was new, I knew of several 
people, on horseback and in sleighs, who 
were chased b}^ them and narrowly escaped 
with their lives. A wolf runs very fast, 
with a kind of long gallop, which he can 
keep up hours at a time, without being tired 
out; and it takes a very good horse to escape 
them when their blood is up.” 
“I recollect a frightful story about a man 
being chased by wolves in Sweden,” said 
Richard. 
“ Don’t tell it, if it is too horrid !” inter¬ 
rupted Annie. “Oh, I know what you 
