One day Malchus and two of his companions had followed a wounded deer far up among the hills, and were some miles away from the camp when the darkness began to set in.

“I think we had better give it up,” Malchus said; “we shall find it difficult as it is to find our way back; I had no idea that it was so late.”

His companions at once agreed, and they turned their faces towards the camp.  In another half hour it was perfectly dark under the shadow of the trees, but the moon was shining, and its position afforded them a means of judging as to the direction where the camp lay.  But even with such assistance it was no easy matter making their way.  The country was rough and broken; ravines had to be crossed, and hills ascended.  After pushing on for two hours, Halcon, the eldest of the party, said: 

“I am by no means sure that we are going right after all.  We have had a long day’s work now, and I do not believe we shall find the camp tonight.  I think we had better light a fire here and wrap ourselves in our cloaks.  The fire will scare wild beasts away, and we shall be easily able to find the camp in the morning.”

The proposal was at once accepted; sticks were collected, and, with flint and steel and the aid of some dried fungus which they carried in their pouches, a fire was soon lit, and some choice portions of a deer which they had killed early in the day were soon broiling on sticks over it.

“We must keep watch by turns,” Halcon said; “it will not do to let the fire burn low, for likely enough we may be visited by bears before morning.”

After eating their meal and chatting for some time, Halcon and his companions lay down to rest, Malchus volunteering to keep the first watch.  For some time he sat quietly, occasionally throwing logs on the fire from the store which they had collected in readiness.  Presently his attitude changed, he listened intently and rose to his feet.  Several times he had heard the howls of wolves wandering in the woods, but he now made out a long, deep, continuous howling; he listened for a minute or two and then aroused his companions.

“There is a large pack of wolves approaching,” he said, “and by the direction of the sound I judge they are hunting on the traces of our footsteps.  That is the line by which we came down from yonder brow, and it seems to me that they are ascending the opposite slope.”

“Yes, and by the sound there must be a very large pack of them,” Halcon agreed; “pile up the fire and set yourselves to gather more wood as quickly as possible; these beasts in large packs are formidable foes.”

The three men set to work, vigourously cutting down brushwood and lopping off small boughs of trees with their swords.

“Divide the fire in four,” Halcon said, “and pile the fuel in the centre; they will hardly dare to pass between the fires.”

The pack was now descending the slope, keeping up a chorus of howls and short yelps which sent a shiver of uneasiness through Malchus.  As the wolves approached the spot the howling suddenly ceased.