l sticks at a time were
laid over the burning splinters, and in five minutes a large fire
was blazing.

Charlie and his companion took their seats where the other two big
branches shot out from the trunk. These were two or three feet
higher than that on which the fire had been lighted, and, ere long,
a sensation of genial warmth began to steal over them. Fresh sticks
were lighted as the first were consumed, and before long the trunk,
where the flames played on it, began to glow. Light tongues of
flame rose higher and higher, until the trunk was alight ten or
twelve feet up.

"The wolves are all gone," Charlie said, looking down.

"I don't suppose they have gone very far, sir. But when the tree
once gets fairly alight, you may be sure they won't venture
anywhere near it."

They had already been forced to move some little distance away from
the trunk, by the heat, and as the flames rose higher and higher,
embracing in the course of half an hour the whole of the trunk and
upper branches, they felt that it was perfectly safe to drop off
into the snow beneath them.

Blazing brands soon began to fall. They stood a short distance
away, so as to be beyond the risk of accident, but, at Charlie's
suggestion, they ran in from time to time, gathered up the brands
and laid them at the foot of the trunk, and in a short time a
second fire was kindled here.

The tree was now a pyramid of fire, lighting up the snow for a long
distance round. Outside this circle the wolves could be heard
whining and whimpering, occasionally uttering a long-drawn howl.

"They know that they are baulked of their prey," Stanislas said.
"We shall have some of the big branches falling soon, and shall be
able to keep up a roaring fire, that will last until daylight. I
should think by that time the wolves will be tired of it, and will
make off; but if not, the captain will be sure to send men out to
search for us. He will guess we have been treed by wolves, and we
have only to get into another tree, and fire our pistols, to bring
them in this direction."

"But they may be attacked, too," Charlie remarked.

"There are ten of them, and they are sure to come armed with axes
and swords. They ought to be able to fight their way through a
good-sized pack. Besides, the wolves will be so cowed by this great
fire, that I don't think they will have the courage to meddle with
so strong a party."

One by one the arms of the tree fell, burnt through at the po