and by speaking to and patting them, to allay their fear. So long
as their masters were near them the well trained horses were quiet
and tractable, and would at a whispered order lie down and remain
in perfect quiet; but no sooner had they left them and again settled
to sleep than, at the first howl which told that the pack were at
all approaching, the horses would lift their heads, prick their
ears in the direction of the sound, and rise to their feet and stand
trembling, with extended nostrils snuffing the unknown danger,
pawing the ground, and occasionally making desperate efforts to
break loose from their picket ropes.

The work of soothing had then to be repeated, until at last most
of the riders brought their lions' skins and lay down by the
prostrate horses, with their heads upon their necks. The animals,
trained thus to sleep with their riders by their side, and reassured
by the presence of their masters, were for the most part content
to lie quiet, although the packs of wolves, attracted by the scent
of the meat that had been cooked, approached close to the camp
and kept up a dismal chorus round it until morning.

Day by day the march was continued. The country was wild and rugged,
foaming torrents had to be crossed, precipices surmounted, barren
tracts traversed. But after a week's hard marching the column
had overcome the greater part of the difficulty, had crossed the
Sierras and gained the plateau, which with a gradual fall slopes
west down to the Atlantic, and was for the most part covered with
a dense growth of forests. They now to their satisfaction overtook
the main body of the army, and their marches would be somewhat less
severe, for hitherto they had each day traversed extra distances
to make up for the two days' loss in starting. Here Malchus for