, which
was near half a league, and entered the plain. As soon as we came into
the plain, we had occasion enough to look about us. The first object we
met with was a dead horse; that is to say, a poor horse which the wolves
had killed, and at least a dozen of them at work, we could not say eating
him, but picking his bones rather; for they had eaten up all the flesh
before. We did not think fit to disturb them at their feast, neither did
they take much notice of us. Friday would have let fly at them, but I
would not suffer him by any means; for I found we were like to have more
business upon our hands than we were aware of. We had not gone half over
the plain when we began to hear the wolves howl in the wood on our left
in a frightful manner, and presently after we saw about a hundred coming
on directly towards us, all in a body, and most of them in a line, as
regularly as an army drawn up by experienced officers. I scarce knew in
what manner to receive them, but found to draw ourselves in a close line
was the only way; so we formed in a moment; but that we might not have
too much interval, I ordered that only every other man should fire, and
that the others, who had not fired, should stand ready to give them a
second volley immediately, if they continued to advance upon us; and then
that those that had fired at first should not pretend to load their
fusees again, but stand ready, every one with a pistol, for we were all
armed with a fusee and a pair of pistols each man; so we were, by this
method, able to fire six volleys, half of us at a time; however, at
present we had no necessity; for upon firing the first volley, the enemy
made a full stop, being terrified as well with the noise as with the
fire. Four of them being shot in the head, dropped; several others were
wounded, and went bleeding off, as we could see by the snow. I found
they stopped, but did not immediately retreat; whereupon, remembering
that I had been told that the fiercest creatures were terrified at the
voice of a man, I caused all the company to halloo as loud as they could;
and I found the notion not altogether mistaken; for upon our shout they
began to retire and turn about. I then ordered a second volley to be
fired in their rear, which put them to the gallop, and away they went to
the woods. This gave us leisure to charge our pieces again; and that we
might lose no time, we kept going; but we had but little more than loaded
our fusees, a