along on the hills. "It's all true," he declared, as the story ended. "I
knew the man myself. All sorts of things happen when you're out alone on
the hillsides."

The fire, meanwhile, had died down to a heap of brands and gleaming
coals, and Melas told the Twins to bring some wood to replenish it. They
had been gone only a short time on this errand when the group around the
fire was amazed to see them come darting back into the circle, all out of
breath and with eyes as big as saucers.

"What is it?" cried Lydia, springing to her feet.

"We don't know," gasped Dion. "It's big--and black--and there's two of
it. It's right out by the brush-pile."

"We were just going to get an armful of brush," added Daphne, "when all
of a sudden there it was--right beside us! We didn't wait to see it any
more. We just ran like everything!"

Lydia poked the coals into a blaze and peered out into the surrounding
darkness.

"It was wolves, I'll go bail," cried Lycias, and he started at once to
climb a tree.

"Wolves!" shrieked Chloe, and got behind her mistress. The Twins were
already holding to her skirts.

"Wolves!" howled the slaves, "a whole pack of them!" and as there was
nothing for them to climb, each hastily tried to get behind some one