“They see us,” Halcon said; “keep a sharp lookout for them, but do not throw away a shot, we shall need all our arrows before daylight.”

Standing perfectly quiet, the friends could hear the pattering sound made by the wolves’ feet upon the fallen leaves; but the moon had sunk now, and they were unable to make out their figures.

“It seems to me,” Malchus said in a whisper, “that I can see specks of fire gleaming on the bushes.”

“It is the reflection of the fire in their eyes,” Halcon replied.  “See! they are all round us!  There must be scores of them.”

For some time the wolves approached no closer; then, encouraged by the silence of the little group standing in the centre of the fire, two or three gray forms showed themselves in the circle of light.  Three bows twanged.  Two of the wolves fell, and the third, with a howl of pain, fled in the darkness.  There was a sound of snarling and growling; a cry of pain, a fierce struggle, and then a long continued snarling.

“What are they doing?” Malchus asked with a shudder.

“I believe they are eating their wounded comrade,” Halcon replied.  “I have heard such is the custom of the savage brutes.  See, the carcasses of the other two have disappeared already.”

Short as had been the time which had elapsed since they had fallen, other wolves had stolen out, and had dragged away the bodies of the two which had been killed.  This incident, which showed how extreme was the hunger of the wolves, and how noiseless were their motions, redoubled the vigilance of the party.

Malchus threw a handful of brushwood on to each of the fires.

“We must be careful of the fuel,” Halcon said.  “I would we had thought of this before we lay down to sleep.  If we had collected fuel enough for our fires we should have been safe; but I doubt much if our supply will last now till morning.”

As the hours went on the attitude of the wolves became more and more threatening, and in strong bodies they advanced close up to the fires.  Every time that they did so armfuls of fuel were thrown on, and as the flames leaped up brightly they each time fell back, losing several of their numbers from the arrows of the little party.  But the pile of fuel was now sinking fast, and except when the wolves advanced it was necessary to let the fires burn down.

“It must want four hours yet of daylight,” Halcon said, as he threw on the last piece of wood.  “Look round as the fire blazes up and see if you can make out any tree which may be climbed.  I would that we had taken to them at first instead of trusting to our fires.”

Unfortunately they had chosen a somewhat open space of ground for their encampment, for the brushwood grew thick among the trees.

“There is a tree over there,” Malchus said, pointing to it, “with a bough but six feet from the ground.  One spring on to that and we are safe.”