or
three-quarters of a mile Tom skated on in agony.

'Now we will stop, and I will fire my second shot,' he said.

Once more our nine snarling friends found discretion the better part of
their valour, and stopped at a biscuit-toss from us, whining and howling
and looking grim enough to frighten the most iron nerves. Perhaps Tom's
hand shook a bit; at any rate, he missed again, and handed me over the
revolver with an exclamation of disgust. And again the wolves retired,
but not so far away this time.

We waited two or three minutes.

'Now we'll go,' said Tom, 'and this time we will reach and fly the
water-jump without stopping. Let them come close to our heels till we
are within fifty yards, then put on all the pace we can, and over we go.
I want to see whether we can't drown one or two of the brutes; they
don't look where they are going.'

We carried out this programme to the letter. At fifty yards from the
fissure we put on all the pace we could command, and we flew the open
water side by side, Tom clearing it beautifully in spite of the wrench
it gave him to do so. Then we stopped.

Having gone slowly for the last quarter of a mile, we had allowed the
wolves to gain upon us. This had excited them, and as we cleared the
water we could hear them in full bay close behind us. I dare say the
sound at our heels gave us wings.

The pack reached the fissure but ten yards behind us. The leader and
three others realised too late that they must rise to a leap; they
endeavoured to stop, but their impetus carried them over the edge and
into the water; of the rest, two leaped in a half-hearted manner, being
in two minds whether to stop or jump; both fell short into the water.
The last three cleared the fissure, and these, of course, occupied our
attention, for, too excited to remember discretion this time, they made
straight for us, open-mouthed. Tom had hurriedly taken off one skate,
and stood swinging it behind me, intending to make a fight of it. As for
me, when the nearest wolf--looking all fangs and blazing eyes--was five
yards from me, I pulled the trigger. I think I shut my eyes, but of this
I am not quite certain.

To my complete astonishment, the wolf came rolling and tumbling to my
feet, made an effort to rise, swayed and fell back dead. The other two
turned, took the fissure at a bound, and fled away. In the water two
wolves were still struggling; the rest had presumably gone under the ice
while endeavouring to