have you no sports in the winter season?" asked Fred. "I thought
that the country abounded in bears and wolves, and deer and game of all
sorts. They are the sort of animals I should like to look after."

"We have an abundance of bears and wolves, and of smaller animals too,
but we are not very fond of leaving our comfortable homes to shoot them.
Sometimes, when a bear becomes troublesome in a neighbourhood by his
depredations, the villagers turn out in a body to destroy him; and
wolves are the enemies of all. In winter, when hard pressed by hunger,
a flock of these are very dangerous, and numberless persons have fallen
victims to their voracity. A dreadful circumstance relating to wolves
occurred near this a few winters ago.

"A miller, Nicholas Eremeitch by name, was, with his wife and children,
returning from the neighbouring town to his own village, a distance of
some twenty versts or so. He and his wife sat in the front part of the
sledge; their children, well covered with skins, were behind, except
one, which was in its mother's arms, another at their feet. Their road
lay partly through a forest, and partly across an open plain, now
exhibiting one unbroken sheet of snow. The children were laughing
cheerily, for though the frost was excessive, there was no wind, and the
cold was scarcely felt. They had accomplished more than half their
distance at a good rate.

"Nicholas Eremeitch was well-to-do in the world, and he had a pair of
good horses, which knew how to go over the ground. A common peasant
would have driven but one, but he required them for his trade. He and
his wife were conversing together on what they had seen in the town,
when they were startled by a sharp yelp at no great distance off.

"`Is that a dog who has lost his master?' asked the miller's wife.

"`No, wife, no,' answered the miller. `Heaven protect us!'

"As he spoke there was a rushing sound heard from far off in the forest.
At first it was very faint; then it grew louder and louder. Their
sagacious steeds knew too well what caused the sound, and, snorting with
fear, they started off at full gallop. There was no necessity for
Nicholas to urge them on. He, also, too well knew the cause of the
sound. Anxiously he looked over his shoulder. Another yelp was heard,
louder and sharper than before. They were just entering on the plain.
Another and another yelp rang in their ears, and at the same moment a
pack of wolves, in a dense