TREED BY WOLVES 231

“T am afraid they are. Well, we shall soon see. Yes,
they are leaving the road where we did.”’

A moment later a dozen wolves ran up to the trunk of the
tree, and there gathered snuffing and whining. Presently
one caught sight of the two figures above them, and with an
angry yelp sprang up in the air, and immediately all were
growling, snarling, and leaping. Charlie laughed out loud
at their impotent efforts.

“It is no laughing matter, sir,” Stanislas said gravely.

“They cannot climb up here, Stanislas.”

“No, but they can keep us here. It will be dark in an
hour, and likely enough they will watch us all night.”

“Then we had better shoot two of them, and jump down
with our hatchets. Keeping back to back, we ought to be
able to face ten wolves.”

“Yes, if that were all; but see, here come three or four
more, and the dozen will soon swell to a score. No, we
shall have to wait here all night, and probably for some time
to-morrow, for the men are not likely to find us very early,
and they will hardly hear our pistols unless some of them
happen to come in this direction.”

“Do you think if we shoot two or three of them the rest
will go?”

“Certainly not. It will be all the worse. Their com-
rades would at once tear them to pieces and devour them,
and the scent of blood would very soon bring others to the
spot.”

“Well, if we have got to wait here all night, Stanislas,
we had better choose the most comfortable place we can at
once before it gets dark. We must mind we don’t go to
sleep and tumble off.”

“There will be no fear of our sleeping,” Stanislas said.
“The cold will be too great for that. We shall have to
keep on swinging our hands and feet and rubbing our noses
to prevent ourselves from getting frost-bitten.”