grew
more and more boundless, and his grief and indignation therewith
also. Whenever the track lay clear he ran, with such reckless
prodigality of strength, that it soon was spent, and he dragged on
heavily, till, sometimes on the ice of a mere, sometimes on a
wind-swept place, all signs were lost; but, so undeviating had
been their line that a course straight on, and then short questing
to either hand, recovered them again.

Hour after hour had gone by through more than half that winter
day, before ever he came to the place where the trampled snow
showed that a scurry of feet had come--and gone! Wolves' feet--and
gone most amazingly! Only a little beyond he came to the lopped
point of Christian's bear-spear; farther on he would see where the
remnant of the useless shaft had been dropped. The snow here was
dashed with blood, and the footsteps of the two had fallen closer
together. Some hoarse sound of exultation came from him that might
have been a laugh had breath sufficed. "O White Fell, my poor,
brave love! Well struck!" he groaned, torn by his pity and great
admiration, as he guessed surely how she had turned and dealt a
blow.

The sight of the blood inflamed him as it might a beast that
ravens. He grew mad with a desire to have Christian by the throat
once again, not to loose this time till he had crushed out his
life, or beat out his life, or stabbed out his life; or all these,
and torn him piecemeal likewise: and ah! then, not till then,
bleed his heart with weeping, like a child, like a girl, over the
piteous fate of his poor lost love.

On--on--on--through the aching time, toiling and straining in the
track of those two superb runners, aware of the marvel of their
endurance, but unaware of the marvel of their speed, that, in the
three hours before midnight had overpassed all that vast distance
that he could only traverse from twilight to twilight. For clear
daylight was passing when he came to the edge of an old marl-pit,
and saw how the two who had gone before had stamped and trampled
together in desperate peril on the verge. And here fresh blood
stains spoke to him of a valiant defence against his infamous
brother; and he followed where the blood had dripped till the cold
had staunched its flow, taking a savage gratification from this
evidence that Christian had been gashed deeply, maddening afresh
with desire to do likewise more excellently, and so slake his
murderous hate. And he began to know that th