"Before us lay now the white plain, scintillating under the high moon's
rays. That light is deceptive; I could be sure of nothing upon the wide
expanse but of the dark, leaping figures of the hounds already spread out
in a straggling line, some right ahead, others just in front of us. In a
short time also the icy wind, cutting my face mercilessly as we increased
our pace, well nigh blinded me with tears of cold.

"I can hardly realize how long this pursuit after an unseen prey lasted; I
can only remember that I was getting rather faint with fatigue, and
ignominiously held on to my pommel, when all of a sudden the black outline
of a sleigh merged into sight in front of us.

"I rubbed my smarting eyes with my benumbed hand; we were gaining upon it
second by second; two of those hell hounds of the baron's were already
within a few leaps of it.

"Soon I was able to make out two figures, one standing up and urging the
horses on with whip and voice, the other clinging to the back seat and
looking toward us in an attitude of terror. A great fear crept into my
half-frozen brain--were we not bringing deadly danger instead of help to
these travelers? Great God! did the baron mean to use them as a bait for
his new method of wolf hunting?

"I would have turned upon Kossowski with a cry of expostulation or
warning, but he, urging on his hounds as he galloped on their flank,
howling and gesticulating like a veritable Hun, passed me by like a
flash--and all at once I knew."

Marshfield paused for a moment and sent his pale smile round upon his