and stepped
out to see who was coming. He gave an exclamation of surprise and
alarm as he saw the wolf, and raised his hatchet to defend himself.
Without a moment's hesitation the animal sprang upon him and
carried him to the ground, fixing its fangs into his throat. There
was a struggle for a few moments, and then the wolf left its lifeless
foe and was about to continue its flight.

"Get ready to fire, Harry," Ernest exclaimed as the wolf sprang
upon the man, "it is our last chance. If he gets away now we shall
never catch him."

They reined in their horses just as the wolf rose to fly. Harry
fired first, but the movement of his panting horse deranged his aim
and the bullet flew wide. More accustomed to firing on horseback,
Ernest's aim was truer, he struck the wolf on the shoulder, and
it rolled over and over. With a shout of triumph the boys dashed
forward, but when they were within a few paces the wolf leapt
to its feet and endeavoured to spring towards them. Harry's horse
wheeled aside so sharply that he was hurled from the saddle.

The shock was a severe one, and before he could rise to his
feet the wolf was close upon him. He tried as he rose to draw his
hunting-sword, but before he could do so, Ernest, who had, when he
saw him fall, at once leaped from his horse, threw himself before
him, and dealt the wolf a severe blow on the head with his weapon.

Furious with rage and pain the wolf sprang upon him and seized
him by the shoulder. Ernest dropped his sword, and drawing his
hunting-knife struck at it, while at the same moment Harry ran it
through the body.

So strong and tenacious of life was the animal that the blows
were repeated several times before it loosed its hold of Ernest's
shoulder and fell dead.

"Are you hurt, my dear Ernest?" was Harry's first exclamation.

"Oh, never mind that, that's nothing," Ernest replied. "Only think,
Harry, you and I have killed the demon wolf, and no else had a hand
in it. There is a triumph for us."

"The triumph is yours, Ernest," Harry said. "He would have got away
had you not stopped him with your bullet, and he would have made
short work of me had you not come to my rescue, for I was half
stunned with the fall, and he would have done for me as quickly as
he did for that poor fellow there."

"That is true, Harry, but it was you who gave him his mortal wound.
He would have mastered me otherwise. He was too strong for me, and
would have borne me to the ground