her health she could not endure the smell; she felt disgusted and
walked away. . . .

Towards night it grew cold. The puppy felt depressed and went home.

When the wolf-cubs were fast asleep, their mother went out hunting
again. As on the previous night she was alarmed at every sound, and
she was frightened by the stumps, the logs, the dark juniper bushes,
which stood out singly, and in the distance were like human beings.
She ran on the ice-covered snow, keeping away from the road. . . .
All at once she caught a glimpse of something dark, far away on the
road. She strained her eyes and ears: yes, something really was
walking on in front, she could even hear the regular thud of
footsteps. Surely not a badger? Cautiously holding her breath, and
keeping always to one side, she overtook the dark patch, looked
round, and recognised it. It was the puppy with the white brow,
going with a slow, lingering step homewards.

"If only he doesn't hinder me again," thought the wolf, and ran
quickly on ahead.

But the homestead was by now near. Again she clambered on to the
cattle-shed by the snowdrift. The gap she had made yesterday had
been already mended with straw, and two new rafters stretched across
the roof. The wolf began rapidly working with her legs and nose,
looking round to see whether the puppy were coming, but the smell
of the warm steam and manure had hardly reached her nose before she
heard a gleeful burst of barking behind her. It was the puppy. He
leapt up to the wolf on the roof, then into the hole, and, feeling
himself at home in the warmth, recognising his sheep, he barked
louder than ever. . . . Arapka woke up in the barn, and, scenting
a wolf, howled, the hens began cackling, and by the time Ignat
appeared in the porch with his single-barrelled gun the frightened
wolf was already far away.

"Fuite!" whistled Ignat. "Fuite! Full steam ahead!"

He pulled the trigger--the gun missed fire; he pulled the trigger
again--again it missed fire; he tried a third time--and a great
blaze of flame flew out of the barrel and there was a deafening
boom, boom. It kicked him violently on the shoulder, and, taking
his gun in one hand and his axe in the other, he went to see what
the noise was about.

A little later he went back to the hut.

"What was it?" a pilgrim, who was staying the night at the hut and
had been awakened by the noise, asked in a husky voice.

"It's all right," answered Ignat. "Nothing of consequen