sent, much-loved, and almost forgotten friend; the soft, warm
feeling of the south wind, bearing on its wings the balmy influences of
sunny climes, and recalling vividly the scenes, the pleasures, the
bustling occupations of summer. It was this that caused the hunters'
hearts to leap within them as they rode along--that induced old Mr
Kennedy to forget his years, and shout as he had been wont to do in days
gone by, when he used to follow the track of the elk or hunt the wild
buffalo; and it was this that made the otherwise monotonous prairies on
this particular day so charming.

The party had wandered about, without discovering anything that bore the
smallest resemblance to a wolf, for upwards of an hour; Fort Garry had
fallen astern (to use a nautical phrase) until it had become a mere
speck on the horizon, and vanished altogether; Peter Mactavish had twice
given a false alarm in the eagerness of his spirit, and had three times
plunged his horse up to the girths in a snow-drift; the senior clerk was
waxing impatient, and the horses restive, when a sudden "Hollo!" from
Mr Grant brought the whole cavalcade to a stand.

The object which drew his attention, and to which he directed the
anxious eyes of his friends, was a small speck, rather triangular in
form, which overtopped a little willow bush not more than five or six
hundred yards distant.

"There he is!" exclaimed Mr Grant. "That's a fact," cried Mr Kennedy;
and both gentlemen, instantaneously giving a shout, bounded towards the
object; not, however, before the senior clerk, who was mounted on a
fleet and strong horse, had taken the lead by six yards. A moment
afterwards the speck rose up and discovered itself to be a veritable
wolf. Moreover, he condescended to show his teeth, and then, conceiving
it probable that his enemies were too numerous for him, he suddenly
turned round and fled away. For ten minutes or so the chase was kept up
at full speed, and as the snow happened to be shallow at the
starting-point, the wolf kept well ahead of its pursuers--indeed,
distanced them a little. But soon the snow became deeper, and the wolf
plunged heavily, and the horses gained considerably. Although to the
eye the prairie seemed to be a uniform level, there were numerous slight
undulations, in which drifts of some depth had collected. Into one of
these the wolf now plunged and laboured slowly through it. But so deep
was the snow that the horses almost stuck fast.