uncertain one. In the belief, therefore, that the fox would
stop soon--at all events when it came up with the ermine--he restrained
himself from firing, and waited.

It ran on, still keeping the track of the ermine. The latter, hitherto
busy with his own prey, did not see the fox until it was itself seen,
when, dropping the half-eaten mouse, it reared up on its hindquarters
like a squirrel or a monkey, at the same time spitting as spitefully as
any other weasel could have done. In a moment, however, it changed its
tactics--for the open jaws of the fox were within a few paces of it--and
after making a short quick run along the surface, it threw up its
hindquarters, and plunged head-foremost into the snow! The fox sprang
forward, and flinging his brush high in air, shot after like an arrow!

Both had now disappeared from Lucien's sight. For a moment the surface
of the snow was disturbed above the spot where they had gone down, but
the next moment all was still, and no evidence existed that a living
creature had been there, except the tracks, and the break the two
creatures had made in going down. Lucien ran forward until he was
within a few yards of the place, and stood watching the hole, with his
rifle ready--thinking that the fox, at least, would soon come up again.

He had waited for nearly five minutes, looking steadily at this point,
when his eye was attracted by a movement under the snow, at a
considerable distance, quite fifty paces, from where he stood. The
frozen crust was seen to upheave; and, the next moment, the head of the
fox, and afterwards his whole body, appeared above the surface. Lucien
saw that the ermine lay transversely between his jaws, and was quite
dead! He was about to fire, but the fox, suddenly perceiving him, shot
off like an arrow, carrying his prey along with him. He was soon out of
reach, and Lucien, seeing that he had lost his chance, was about to
return to the fire, when, all at once, the fox was observed to stop,
turn suddenly in his tracks, and run off in a new direction! Lucien
looked beyond to ascertain the cause of this strange manoeuvre. That
was soon ascertained. Coming down from among the rocks was a large
animal--five times the fox's size--but in other respects not unlike him.
It was also of a snow-white colour, with long hair, bushy tail, and
short erect ears, but its aspect was not to be mistaken. It was the
great _white wolf_.

When Lucien first saw this new-