第 14 页

made by the wolves' feet upon the fallen leaves; but the moon had sunk

now, and they were unable to make out their figures.

"It seems to me," Malchus said in a whisper, "that I can see specks of

fire gleaming on the bushes."

"It is the reflection of the fire in their eyes," Halcon replied. "See!

they are all round us! There must be scores of them."

For some time the wolves approached no closer; then, encouraged by the

silence of the little group standing in the centre of the fire, two or

three gray forms showed themselves in the circle of light. Three bows

twanged. Two of the wolves fell, and the third, with a howl of pain,

fled in the darkness. There was a sound of snarling and growling; a cry

of pain, a fierce struggle, and then a long continued snarling.

"What are they doing?" Malchus asked with a shudder.

"I believe they are eating their wounded comrade," Halcon replied. "I

have heard such is the custom of the savage brutes. See, the carcasses

of the other two have disappeared already."

Short as had been the time which had elapsed since they had fallen,

other wolves had stolen out, and had dragged away the bodies of the two

which had been killed. This incident, which showed how extreme was the

hunger of the wolves, and how noiseless were their motions, redoubled

the vigilance of the party.

Malchus threw a handful of brushwood on to each of the fires.

"We must be careful of the fuel," Halcon said. "I would we had thought

of this before we lay down to sleep. If we had collected fuel enough for

our fires we should have been safe; but I doubt much if our supply will

last now till morning."

As the hours went on the attitude of the wolves became more and more

threatening, and in strong bodies they advanced close up to the fires.

Every time that they did so armfuls of fuel were thrown on, and as the

flames leaped up brightly they each time fell back, losing several of

their numbers from the arrows of the little party. But the pile of

fuel was now sinking fast, and except when the wolves advanced it was

necessary to let the fires burn down.

"It must want four hours yet of daylight," Halcon said, as he threw on

the last piece of wood. "Look round as the fire blazes up and see if you

can make out any tree which may be climbed. I would that we had taken to

them at first instead of trusting to our fires."

Unfortunately they had chosen a somewhat open space of ground for their

encampment, for the brushwood grew thick among the trees.

"There is a tree over there," Malchus said, pointing to it, "with a

bough but six feet from the ground. One spring on to that and we are

safe."

"Very well," Halcon assented; "we will attempt it at once before the

fire burns low. Put your swords into your sheaths, sling your bows and

arrows behind you, and take each a burning brand. These will be better

weapons in such a case than swords or spears. Now, are you ready? Now!"

Waving the burning brands over their heads, the three Carthaginians

dashed across the intervening space towards the tree.

It seemed as if the wolves were conscious that their prey were

attempting to escape them; for, with a fierce howl, they sprang from the

bushes and rushed to meet them; and, undeterred by the blazing brands,

sprang upon them.

Malchus scarce knew what passed in the short, fierce struggle. One wolf

sprang upon his shield and nearly brought him to the ground; but the

sharp boss pierced its body, and he flung it from him, at the same

moment that he dashed the brand full in the face of another. A third

sprang upon his shoulder, and he felt its hot breath in his face.

Dropping his brand, he drove his dagger deep into its side. Then he

hurled his heavy shield among the mass of wolves before him, took a

bound into their midst, and grasping the bough, swung himself into the

tree and sat there with his legs drawn up as a score of wolves leaped up

towards him with open mouths.

He gave a cry of horror. His two friends were down, and a confused mass

of struggling bodies alone showed where they had fallen. For an instant

he hesitated, debating whether he should leap down and strive to rescue

them; but a glance below showed him that he would be pulled down long

before he could reach the spot where they had fallen.

Shifting himself along the arm until he reached the trunk, he rose to

his feet and sent his arrows vengefully into the midst of the struggling

mass of wolves until he had but three or four shafts left. These he

reserved as a last resource.

There was nothing to do now, and he sat down on the branch, and burst

into tears over the fate of his comrades. When he looked up again all

was quiet. The fierce pack had devoured not only his comrades, but their

own fallen companions, and now sat in a circle with their red tongues

hanging out and their eyes fixed upon him. As the fire gradually died

out their form disappeared; but he could hear their quick breathing, and

knew that they were still on the watch.

Malchus climbed the tree until he reached a fork where he could sit at

ease, and there waited for morning, when he hoped that his foes would

disappear. But as the gray light dawned he saw them still on the watch;

nor, as the dawn brightened into day, did they show any signs of moving.

When he saw they had no intention of leaving the place, Malchus began to

consider seriously what he had best do. He might still be, for aught

he knew, miles away from the camp, and his friends there would have

no means of knowing the position in which he was placed. They would

no doubt send out all the soldiers in search of the party; but in that

broken wilderness of forest and mountain, it was the merest chance

whether they would find the spot where he was prisoner. Still, it

appeared to him that this was the only possibility of his rescue. The

trees grew thickly together, and he could easily have climbed from that

in which he was stationed to the next, and might so have made his way

for some distance; but as the wolves were watching him, and could see

as well by night as by day, there was no advantage in shifting his

position.

The day passed slowly. The wolves had for the most part withdrawn from

beneath the tree, but a few kept their station there steadily, and

Malchus knew that the rest were only lying beneath the bushes round;

for he could hear their frequent snarling, and sometimes a gray head was

thrust out, and a pair of eager eyes looked hungrily towards him. From

time to time Malchus listened breathlessly in hopes of hearing the

distant shouts of his comrades; but all was still in the forest, and

he felt sure that the wolves would hear anyone approaching before he

should.

Once or twice, indeed, he fancied that by their pricked ears and

attitude of attention they could hear sounds inaudible to him; but the

alarm, if such it was, soon passed away, and it might have been that

they were listening only to the distant footsteps of some stag passing

through the forest. Night came again with its long, dreary hours.

Malchus strapped himself by his belt to the tree to prevent himself from

falling and managed to obtain a few hours of uneasy sleep, waking up

each time with a start, in a cold perspiration of fear, believing that

he was falling into the hungry jaws below. In the morning a fierce

desire to kill some of his foes seized him, and he descended to the

lowest branch.

The wolves, seeing their prey so close at hand, thronged thickly under

it, and strove to leap up at him. Lying down on the bough, and twisting

his legs firmly under it to give him a purchase, Malchus thrust his

sword nearly to the hilt between the jaws, which snapped fiercely as a

wolf sprang to within a few inches of the bough. Several were killed in

this way, and the rest, rendered cautious, withdrew to a short distance.

Suddenly an idea struck Malchus. He took off his belt and formed it

into a running noose, and then waited until the wolves should summon up

courage to attack again. It was not long. Furious with hunger, which the

prey they had already devoured was only sufficient to whet, the wolves

again approached and began to spring towards the bough.

Malchus dropped the noose over one of their necks, and with an effort,

hauled it to the bough, and despatched it with his dagger. Then he moved

along the bough and hung it on a branch some ten feet from the ground,

slashing open with his dagger its chest and stomach. Having done this he

returned to his place. Six wolves were one after the other so hauled

up and despatched, and as Malchus expected, the smell of their blood

rendered the pack more savage than ever. They assembled round the

foot of the tree, and continued to spring at the trunk, making vain

endeavours to get at the supply of food which hung tantalizingly at so

short a distance beyond their reach.

So the day passed as before without signs of rescue. When it became

dark Malchus again descended to the lowest trunk, and fired his three

remaining arrows among the wolves below him. Loud howls followed each

discharge, followed by a desperate struggle below. Then he tumbled from

their position the six dead wolves to the ground below, and then as

noiselessly as possible made his way along a bough into an adjoining

tree, and so into another, till he had attained some distance from the

spot where the wolves were fighting and growling over the remains of

their companions, far too absorbed in their work for any thought of him.

Then he dropped noiselessly to the ground and fled at the top of

his speed. It would be, he was sure, some time before the wolves had

completed their feast; and even should they discover that he was missing

from the tree, it would probably be some time before they could hit upon

his scent, especially, as, having just feasted on blood, their sense of

smell would for a time be dulled. His previsions were accurate. Several

times he stopped and listened in dread lest he should hear the distant

howl, which would tell him that the pack was again on his scent. All was

quiet, save for the usual cries and noises in the forest. In two hours

he saw a distant glow of light, and was soon in the encampment of his

friends.

"Why, Malchus!" his comrades exclaimed as he entered the tent, "where

have you been these two days? Why, you are splashed with blood. Where

are Halcon and Chalcus?"

"Dead," Malchus said--"devoured by wolves."

A cry of horror broke from the three young guardsmen.

"`Tis too true," Malchus went on; "but give me food and wine. I have

neither eaten nor drunk for the last two days, and I have gone through a

terrible time. Even now I seem to see all round me countless cruel eyes,

and hungry open mouths with their red tongues."

Seeing that Malchus was utterly worn and exhausted his companions

hastened to place food and drink before him before asking any further

questions.

Malchus drank a cup of wine and took a mouthful of bread; but he was too

faint and exhausted at present to eat more. He had supported well

the terrible strain for the last forty-eight hours, and as he had run

through the forest he had not noticed how it had told upon him; but now

that he was safe among his friends he felt as weak as a child. For

a time he lay upon the lion skin on which he had thrown himself upon

entering the tent, unable to reply to his comrades' questions. Then, as

the cordial began to take effect, he roused himself and forced himself

to eat more. After that he told his friends what had happened.

"You have indeed had an escape, Malchus; but how was it you did not take

to the trees at once?"

"I did not think of it," Malchus said, "nor, I suppose, did the others.

Halcon was our leader, and we did as he told us. He thought the fires

would keep them off. Who could have thought the beasts would have

ventured to attack us!"

"I have always heard they were terrible," one of the others said; "but I

should have thought that three armed men would have been a match for any

number of them."

"It would have been as much as thirty could have done to withstand

them," Malchus replied; "they did not seem to care for their lives, but

sought only to slay. There were hundreds and hundreds of them. I would

rather march alone to the assault of a walled city than face those

terrible beasts."

In the morning the whole party started for the scene of the encounter.

Malchus had some difficulty in discovering it; but at last, after

searching a long time he came upon it.

The ground beneath the tree was everywhere trampled and torn by the

wolves in their struggles, and was spotted with patches of dry blood.

The helmets, shields and arms of Halcon and Chalcus lay there, but not

a remnant of their bones remained, and a few fragments of skin and some

closely gnawed skulls alone testified to the wolves which had fallen

in the encounter. The arms were gathered up, and the party returned

to their camp, and the next day started for Carthagena for, after that

experience, none cared for any further hunting.

It was some weeks before Malchus completely recovered from the effects

of the strain he had undergone. His nights were disturbed and restless.

He would constantly start from his couch, thinking that he heard the

howl of the wolves, and any sudden noise made him start and turn pale.

Seeing how shaken his young kinsmen was, and what he had passed through,

Hannibal sent him several times in ships which were going across to

Africa for stores. He did not venture to send him to Carthage; for

although his influence with the commissioners had been sufficient to

annul the order of the council for the sending of Malchus as a prisoner

there, it was probable that were he to return he would be seized and put

to death--not for the supposed crime he had committed, but to gratify

the hatred of Hanno against himself and his adherents.

The sea voyages soon restored Malchus to his accustomed health. Trained