ween Russia and Poland. He generally selected this road for his
walk, both because it was less laborious than wading through the
untrodden snow, and because there was here no fear of losing his
way, and he was spared the incessant watchfulness for signs that
was necessary among the trees. At first he had frequently met
peasants' carts on the road, but, since the cold became more severe
and the wolves more numerous and daring, he no longer encountered
them. He had indeed heard, from some of the last he saw, that they
should come no more, for that the charcoal burners were all
abandoning their huts, and going into the villages.

One afternoon, when they had, on their return, nearly reached the
spot where they left the road to strike across the forest to the
hut, they heard a noise behind them.

"That is a pack of wolves, in full cry!" Stanislas exclaimed. "You
had better get up into a tree. They are after something."

They hastily clambered into a tree, whose lower branches were but
six or seven feet from the ground. A moment later two horses, wild
with fright, dashed past, while some twenty yards behind them came
a pack of fifty or sixty wolves. They were almost silent now, with
their red tongues hanging out.

"The brutes have been attacking a sledge," Stanislas said in a low
tone. "You saw the horses were harnessed, and their broken traces
were hanging by their side. It is easy to read the story. The
sledge was attacked; the horses, mad with fear, broke their traces
and rushed off, or perhaps the driver, seeing at the last moment
that escape was impossible, slashed the ropes with his knife, so as
to give the horses a chance. I expect they got a start, for the
wolves would be detained a little at the sledge."

"Do you think the poor beasts will get safe out of the forest,
Stanislas?"

"I don't think so, but they may. The chase has evidently been a
long one, and the wolves have tired themselves with their first
efforts to come up to them. It did not seem to me that they were
gaining when they passed us. It is simply a question of endurance,
but I fancy the wolves will last longest.

"See, here is a party of stragglers. I suppose they stopped longer
at the sledge."

"It seems to me they are on our scent, Stanislas. Do you see, they
are coming along at the side of the road where we walked, with
their heads down."

"I am afraid they are. Well, we shall soon see. Yes, they are
leaving the road where we did."

A