230 A JACOBITE EXILE

no more, for that the charcoal-burners were all abandoning
their huts and going into the villages.

One afternoon, when they had on their return nearly
reached the spot where they left the road to strike across
the forest to the hut, they heard a noise behind them.

“That is a pack of wolves in full cry!” Stanislas ex-
claimed. ‘You had better get up into a tree. ‘They are
after something.”

They hastily clambered into a tree, whose lower branches
were but six or seven feet from the ground. A moment
later two horses wild with fright dashed past, while some
twenty yards behind them came a pack of fifty or sixty
wolves. They were almost silent now, with their red
tongues hanging out.

“The brutes have been attacking a sledge,” Stanislas said
in a low tone. “You saw the horses were harnessed, and
their broken traces were hanging by their side. It is easy
to read the story. he sledge was attacked, the horses mad
with fear broke their traces and rushed off, or perhaps the
driver, seeing at the last moment that escape was impos-
sible, slashed the ropes with his knife, so as to give the
tere a chance. I expect they got a start, for the wolves
would be detained a little at the sledge.”

“Do you think the poor beasts will get safe out of the
forest, Stanislas? ”

“Tdon’t think so, but they may. The chase has evidentl y
been a long one, and the wolves have tired themselves with
their first efforts to come up to them. It did not seem to
me that they were gaining when they passed us. It is
simply a question of endurance, but I fancy the wolves will
last longest. See, here is a party of stragglers. I suppose
they stopped longer at the sledge.”

“Tt seems to me they are on our scent, Stanislas. Do
you see they are coming along at the side of the road where
we walked, with their heads down.”