t the prong-horn was dragged to the ground, and worried by the
whole pack!

The frightened herd wheeled in their track and scattered right and left.
Some ran in the direction of the hunters; but so swiftly did they bound
past, that the shots of the latter, aimed in haste, whistled idly over
the prairie. Not one of them appeared to have been touched; and, in a
few seconds, not one of them was to be seen. They had all escaped,
except their leader, who was by this time dying under the teeth of the
wolves.

"Well, we shall have _him_ at all events," said Basil. "Load your guns,
brothers! give the wolves time to kill him outright; we can easily run
them off."

"Very kind of them," added Francois, "to procure us fresh venison for
supper. Indeed we might not have had it but for their cunning. We have
done them some service during our journey; it is almost time they should
make us a return."

"We had better make haste, then," said Lucien, loading at the same time
with his brothers; "the wolves appear to be very busy; they may tear our
venison to pieces. See! what a scuffle!"

As Lucien said this, the eyes of all were turned upon the wolves. The
latter were leaping about over the body of the antelope, now in a thick
clump, now more scattered, but all the while apparently worrying the
animal to death. Their jaws were already blood-stained, and their bushy
tails swept about and above them in ceaseless motion. The hunters made
all haste in reloading, lest, as Lucien had suggested, the wolves might
spoil the venison. They were not more than a minute engaged in ramming
down the bullets, and fixing the caps on the nipples of their guns.
When this was done, all three ran forward together--Marengo in the
advance, with outstretched neck and open mouth, eager to do battle with
the whole pack.

It was but three hundred yards to the spot where the wolves were; and
when our hunters had got within range, all three stopped, levelled their
pieces, and fired. The volley took effect. Two were seen kicking and
sprawling over the grass, while the others, dropping their prey,
scampered off over the prairie. The boys ran up. Marengo leaped upon
one of the wounded wolves, while the other was despatched by the butts
of their guns. But where was the antelope? There was no such animal to
be seen; but, in its stead, half-a-dozen fragments of mangled skin, a
horned head and shanks, with a clump of half-picked, ribs and joints!
And t