s were sent off with the relays.
This was on Monday morning--Tom and I, and some thirteen others, with
eight couple of the best dogs, stuck to his slot on foot. It was two
hours at least, so long had he been gone, before a single hound spoke to
it, and I had begun well nigh to despair; but Tom's immense sagacity,
which seemed almost to know instinctively the course of the wily savage,
enabling us to cut off the angles of his course, at last brought us up
somewhat nearer to him. At about noon, two or three of the hounds
opened, but doubtfully and faintly. His slot, however, showed that they
were right, and lustily we cheered them on! Tom, marvelling the while
that we heard not the cry of Jem's relay.

"'For I'll be darned,' he said, 'if he hasn't crossed the road long
enough since; and that dumb nigger, Jem's not had the sense to stick to
him!'

"For once, however, the fat man was wrong; for, as it appeared when we
neared the road, the wolf had headed back, scared doubtless by some
injudicious noise of our companions, and making a wide ring, had crossed
three miles below the spot where Jem was posted. This circuit we were
forced to make, as at first sight we fancied he had headed altogether
back, and it was four o'clock before we got upon his scent, hot, fresh,
and breast-high; running toward the road, that is, due eastward from the
covert whence he had bolted in the morning. Nor were our friends
inactive; for, guided by the clamors of our pack, making the forest
musical, they now held down the road; and, as the felon crossed, caught
a long view of him as he limped over it, and laid the fresh hounds on.

"A brilliant rally followed--we calling off our wearied dogs, and
hasting to the lower road, where we found Garry with the sleighs, and
dashing off in our turn through all sorts of by-paths and wood-roads to
head them once again! This, with much labor, we effected; but the full
winter-moon had risen, and the innumerable stars were sparkling in the
frosty skies, when we flogged off the hounds--kindled our night fires--
prepared our evening meal, feasted, and spread our blankets, and slept
soundly under no warmer canopy than the blue firmament--secure that our
lame friend would lie up for the night at no great distance. With the
first peep of dawn we were again afoot, and, the snow still befriending
us, we roused him from a cedar-brake at about nine o'clock, cut him off
three times with fresh dogs and men, the second day