It was happy for Etienne it was my man Friday, for he having been used to the beast after so many years had no fear upon him, but went close up to him and with his pistol shot the wolf that attacked Etienne in the head. Any other of us would have fired at a distance, and perhaps either missed the wolf or endangered shooting the man.
But it was enough to have terrify'd a bolder man than I. Indeed, it alarmed all our company, when, with the noise of Friday's pistol, we heard on both sides the most dismal howling of wolves. The noise, redoubled by the echo of the mountains, appeared to us as if there had been a prodigious number of them. However, as Friday had kill’d this wolf, the other that had fastened upon the horse left him and fled without doing the horse any damage, having fastened upon his head where the bosses of the bridle had stuck in his teeth. But Etienne was most hurt, for the raging creature had bit him twice, once in the arm, and the other time a little above his knee. Tho’ he had made some defence, he was just as it were tumbling down by the disorder of his horse, when Friday came up and shot the wolf.
At the noise of Friday's pistol we all mended our pace and rode up as fast as the way would give us leave to see what was the matter. As soon as we came clear of the trees, which blinded us before, we saw what had been the case, and how Friday had disengaged poor Etienne, tho’ we did not presently discern what kind of creature it was he had kill'd.
Friday had delivered our guide, and when we came up to him he was helping him off from his horse, for Etienne was both hurt and frighten'd.
We were still in a wild place, and our guide very much hurt, and what to do we hardly knew. The howling of wolves ran much in my head and, indeed, except the noise I once heard on the shore of Africk, I never heard any thing that fill’d me with such strange vigour.
These things, and the approach of night, called us off. We had near three leagues to go, and Etienne hastened us down into Languedoc.
The ground was still covered with snow, tho’ not so deep and dangerous as on the mountains. The ravenous creatures, as we heard afterwards, were come down into the forest and plain country to seek for food, and had done a great deal of mischief in the villages. They kill'd a great many sheep and horses, and some people too.
We had one dangerous place to pass, which Etienne told us, if there were more wolves in the country we should find them there. This was a small plain, surrounded with woods on every side, and a long narrow defile, or lane, which we were to pass to get through the wood. Then we should come to the village where we were to lodge.
It was a little after sunset when we came into the plain. We met with nothing in the first wood, except in a little plain within the wood, which was not above two furlongs over, we saw five great wolves cross the road, full speed, one after another, as if they had been in chase of some prey. They took no notice of us and were gone out of sight in a few moments. Upon this Etienne bid us keep in a ready posture, for he believed there were more wolves a coming.
We kept our arms ready, and our eyes about us, but we saw no more wolves till we came through that wood and entered the plain. As soon as we came into the plain, we had occasion enough to look about us. The first object we met with was a dead horse which the wolves had killed, and at least a dozen of them at work. We could not say eating of him, but picking of his bones rather. They had eaten up all the flesh before.
The night was coming on, and the light began to be dusky, which made it worse on our side. The noise increasing, we could perceive it was the howling and yelling of those hellish creatures. On a sudden we observ'd 2 or 3 wolves, one on our left, one behind us, and one in our front, so we seem'd to be surrounded with them. However, as they did not fall upon us, we kept our way forward, as fast as we could make our horses go, which was only a good hard trot. In this manner we came in view of the entrance of a wood at the farther side of the plain.
On a sudden, at another opening of the wood, we heard the noise of a gun, and looking that way, out rushed a horse with a saddle and a bridle on him, flying like the wind, and sixteen or seventeen wolves after him, full speed.