o suffer
much from thirst. The pangs increased as I walked on. I might have
killed a bird, or some animal, and quenched my thirst with their blood;
but as I might require their flesh for food, I did not wish to expend a
charge of powder till my present stock of meat was expended. It was
getting dark. I was more thirsty than hungry; so on I went in the hopes
of reaching a spring before it was quite dark. I looked about me.
After a time, I could not help fancying that the features of the country
were very similar to those through which I had passed some hours before,
and at length the disagreeable fact forced itself on me that I had
returned back on my own track, and that all my late exertions had been
completely thrown away. For an instant I felt very much inclined to
despair of reaching my friends, but I quickly recovered myself, and the
clouds clearing away in the west, the glow of the setting sun showed me
the right direction to take. I therefore determined to push on as long
as the least glimmer of light enabled me to find my way.

I had not gone far, however, when I heard a rustling noise in a copse
close to which I was passing, and presently out of it stalked a huge
gaunt wolf, and planted himself before me in a threatening attitude,
some twenty paces in advance, as if he had resolved to dispute my onward
progress. My first impulse was naturally to fire, but I recollected
that if I did, I might not possibly kill him, as I had only small shot,
and that though I did kill him, his flesh would be far from pleasant
food. I knew that if I showed the slightest symptoms of fear he might
fly at me, so I faced him boldly, as I had faced many of his brethren
before, and tried to look somewhat braver than I felt. I waved my long
pole towards him, and advanced a pace or two, on which he retreated,
still keeping his piercing eye fixed savagely on me. Again I advanced,
and began shouting as loud as I could, hoping thus to frighten him away,
but instead of this he set up the most terrific howls, which I could not
help interpreting as invitations to his comrades to assemble from far
and near, in order to make a meal on my carcase. The more he howled the
louder I shouted, and the odd idea occurring to me that if I shouted out
real names the wolf would be more alarmed, I called by name on all the
Raggets, and Short, and Noggin to come to my assistance, and looked
round, pretending that I expected them to appear. The wolf,