352 ANOTHER ATTACK,

made a full stop, being terrified as well with the noise as with the
fire. Four of them being shot into 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 our company to halloo
as loud as we could; and I found the notion not altogether
mistaken, for upon our shout they began to retire and turn
about. ‘Then I 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, and put ourselves into a readiness, when
we heard a terrible noise in the same wood on our left, only that
it was further onward the same way we were to go.

The night was coming on, and the light began to be dusky,
which made it worse on our side; but the noise increasing, we could
easily perceive that it was the howling and yelling of those hellish
creatures; and on a sudden we perceived two or three troops of
wolves, one on our left, one behind us, and one on our front; so
that we seemed to be surrounded with them. However, as they
did not fall upon us, we kept our way forward as fast as we could
make our horses go, which, the way being very rough, was only a
good large trot; and in this manner we came-in view of the
entrance of a wood through which we were to pass at the further
side of the plain; but we were greatly surprised when, coming
nearer the lane or pass, we saw a confused number of wolves stand-
ing just at the entrance.

On a sudden, at another opening of the wood, we heard the
noise of a gun; and looking that way, out rushed a horse with a
saddle and a bridle on him, flying like the wind, and sixteen or
seventeen wolves after him, full speed; indeed, the horse had
the heels of them, but as we supposed that he could not hold it
at that rate, we doubted not but they would get up with him at

last, and no question but they did.

_ But here we had a most horrible sight; for riding up to the