The National tribune., 1897-11-18

81 tried 90 stop them. the fellow protested,
j warned his Excelency, but lie only
laughed, saying that pain made me merry
Gus. Then he and Dimitri went on.
They went 10 a lad place, said VasiI.
Sights To appal the boldest have been
seen there, and it is always dangerous On
account Of wolves, because so completely
deserted. Pray heaven nothing has hap
pened. Perhaps even that reckless fool
Dmitri had sense enough to entice the
BARN into another course; but We must
act at once.
How asked. What do you fear?'
"Fvervthing, he answered; wolves -
more than wolves, enemies against which
human force avails nothing. Let us
hasten; we viii get men and dogs blood
hounds. They must be tracked immcdi-
ately.'
"Our party hurried on after the leashed
sleuth hounds. We followed their trail by
fell and glade, until each .narled, gray cak
and darker pine bole was lost in gloom,
so that torches had to be lighted, which
filled the forest with spectral shadows
No one spoke The wind surged through
rocking boughs and thrilling branchlets,
each vocal in its own tone, and all, as our
strained feelings interpreted them, blended
into Understandable cadences OF lament ard
warning. Wolves howled in the darkness
sometimes an indistinct form with fiery
eyes fitted before us for an instant and
vanished At length the heavy boom OF
falling water overpowered other sounds.
alt is the Czinkel,' said NasiIi; 1T alls
before the rock. We soon reached its
bank and our torches 1lared upon smooth,
dark eddies and swift reaches; its cleaning
cascade and that stern granite precipicc
which lowered above. just below the
rapids we found where they had crossed.
Fate fateD groaned our leader, as the
dogs, until then mute, now set up a deep,
hoarse bay and strained at their leashes.
over all Of you he shouted, pressing
forward The track turned downward for a
little way. then Swerved abruptly towards
an opening on the slope encircled with trees
and thick brush, where Law the ruins Of a
binding. nothing but pile OF logs. Again
il turned off, this time leadinc upward t.
where the cliff ran back in bare table OF
stone.
I'VE stood al this last point looking al
each other hopelessly. Dread rapidly deer
l.ening into despair haG taken possession
Of me ] could not misunderstood the
meaning Of this trail-brolien short ofI and
bending backward 10 "A precipice. 1t meant
flight; they were headed close by the
stream, cut of from the forest where trees
might have given them refuge, and driven
| TO the cliff.
"Iire the accursed place cried ,asili
! pointing towards the ruins; we must have
| light II was done, and a deep red glare
soon Illuminated the scene. Wolves lay
about stark and grim, or snar!ing with in
! extingCishable fcrocity despite their mortal
wounds. We saw all that was left OF D:mitr
! littcring the tramped and blood stained
! ground. But Non BnunOw we never saw
! His rife, with shattered stock, dead and
disabled wolves, a hunting knife covered
with Goa lula ted gore-these were there. He
! had gone over she precipice, whether in
! tentionally or not, who can say? but tho
torrent had swept him away, and some
| where among those swift deep whirlIools
he had been sucked down and hidden for
ever