d Grace. "But we mustn't stop, even if
everything else has, now that the fire is out, or we'll freeze to
death."

She was just about to call the others briskly, for the air was beginning
to nip her cheeks, when something in the faces of the four boys made her
pause.

They were standing together near the remains of the fire, and seemed to
be listening intently.

Not a sound, not even the crackling of a branch disturbed the stillness
for a moment and then, from what appeared to be a great distance, came a
long, howling wail, so forlorn, so weird, it might have been the cry of
a spirit.

"What is it?" whispered the other girls, creeping about Grace.

"I think we'd better be hurrying along, now, girls," said David in a
natural voice. "It's getting late."

"You can't deceive us, David," replied Grace calmly. "We know it's
wolves."

CHAPTER XIX

WOLVES!

Wolves! The name was terrifying enough. But their cry, that
long-drawn-out, hungry call, gave the picnickers a chill of
apprehension.

"We must take the nearest way out of the wood, Reddy," exclaimed Tom.
"They are still several miles off, and, if we hurry, we may reach the
open before they do."

All started on a run, David helping Anne to keep up with the others
while Reddy looked after Jessica. Nora and Grace were well enough
trained in outdoor exercise to run without any assistance from the boys.
Indeed, Grace Harlowe could out-run most boys of her own age.

"Go straight to your left," called Reddy, consulting his compass as he
hurried Jessica over the snow.

Again they heard the angry howl of the wolves, and the last time it
seemed much nearer.

"It's a terrible business, this running after a heavy meal," muttered
Hippy, gasping for breath as he stumbled along in the track of his
friends. "I'll make a nice meal for 'em if they catch me," he added,
"and it looks as if I'd be the first to go."

"Reddy, are you sure you're right?" called Tom. "The woods don't seem to
be thinning out as they are likely to do toward the edge."

"Keep going," called Reddy, confident of the direction. "You see, we had
gone pretty far in, but I believe the open country is about a mile this
way."

A mile? Good heavens! Jessica and Anne were already stumbling from
exhaustion, while Hippy was quite winded. Another five minutes of this
and at least three of the party would be food for wolves, unless
something could be done. So thought David, who, breathless and light