k," Jack said, when the wolves had been fairly left
in the rear. "They call that wolf-hunting. I call it being hunted by
wolves. These are fine fellows; they were as cool as cucumbers."

"I've nearly broken my shoulder," Dick grumbled, "The gun with those
tremendous charges kicked like a horse. Well, it's fine fun anyhow,
but its rather too risky to be often repeated. If two or three of
those fellows had got hold of the horses' heads, they would all have
been upon us, and very short work they would have made of us if they
had."

"Ugh!" Jack said with a shudder. "What teeth they have! and what
mouths! It seemed like a sort of nightmare for a moment with those
great open mouths and shining teeth, as they leaped towards us, as we
rushed past. I hope I shan't dream about them."

"No fear of that," Dick said laughing. "The countess said that some
supper should be ready for us when we got back. I feel tremendously
peckish. After the night air, and plenty of hot tea and a good
tuck-in, we shall sleep without dreaming, I can venture to say."

The countess and her daughters had gone to bed long before the return
of the sportsmen. At breakfast next morning the boys attempted to
relate their adventures, but their vocabulary being wholly
insufficient, the coachman was sent for, and requested to give a full
account of the proceedings. This he did, and added on his own account
that the little lords had been as cool and collected as if they had
been wolf-hunting all their lives.

After breakfast, the letter-bag arrived, and the countess, having
opened her correspondence, said that her husband would return the next
day. Great as was the pleasure of the ladies, the boys hardly felt
enthusiastic over the news; they were so jolly as they were, that they
feared any change would be for the worse.

Next day the count arrived, and the boys soon felt that they had no
cause for apprehension. He greeted them with much cordiality, and told
them that he had heard from the countess that he had to thank them for
having made the time of his absence pass so cheerfully, and that she
had said she did not know how they would have got through the dull
time without them. The boys, after the manner of their kind, were bad
hands at compliment; but they managed to express in their best Russian
their thanks for the extreme kindness which they had received.

The days went on after the count's arrival much as they had done
before, except that the boys no