That voice of the
Northern desert is the howl of the wolf!
The instant after this awful sound had broken upon the silence followed
another formidable body of discordant sounds--the baying and yelling of
sixty hounds--answering from the ramparts of Nideck. The whole pack gave
voice at the same moment--the deep bay of the bloodhound, the sharp cry
of the pointer, the plaintive yelpings of the spaniels, and the
melancholy howl of the mastiffs, all mingling in confusion with the
rattling of dog-chains, the shaking of the kennels under the struggles
of the hounds to get loose; and, dominating over all, the long, dismal,
prolonged note of the wolf's monotonous howl; his was the leading part
in this horrible canine concert!
Sperver sprang from his seat and ran out upon the platform to see if a
wolf had dropped into the moat. But no--the howling came from neither.
Then turning to us he cried--
"Fritz! Sebalt!--come, come quickly!"
We flew down the steps four at a time and rushed into the fencing-school.
Here we heard the cry of the wolf alone, prolonged beneath the echoing
arches the distant barking and yelling of the pack became almost
inaudible in the distance; the dogs were hoarse with rage and excitement,
their chains were getting entangled together.
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