'A village,' he thought. 'Not a sign of a forest, so I presume that those beasts have quitted this part of the country, only they must have gone precious quickly, for there is not one to be seen anywhere. I think we can safely set out.'
An hour later, after a hearty breakfast, the ponies were loaded with the stores accompanying the party, and David and his men set out. Though the going was not as easy as it had been when there was no snow, it was not particularly difficult; for there had been a severe frost, and the hoofs of the animals sank only a little way below the surface.
'I think we'd better keep well together, and have the pack ponies between us,' said David, once they were clear of the hill. 'To tell you the truth, now that we are in the open I'm beginning to wonder whether I can have made a mistake about those brutes. If they have gone right off, then they must have got away at their fastest pace, else I should have seen them. It makes me a little anxious.'
'It is one of those matters which one cannot well help, Excellency,' Chu-Li reassured him. 'It may be that the brutes have found some hollow which was not visible from the top of the hill, and have taken shelter in it. I mean some dip in the ground. There is this to be said in our favour. The animals have had a fine feed during the night, and will therefore not be so ravenous, while it is well-known that wolves do not attack so fiercely during the day time. But I have known of a party being torn to pieces, and for that reason we had best hasten.'
They urged their willing animals forward after that, and were soon more than half-way to the village, which could now be distinctly seen. It was then that Jong announced that there was something following the party, causing David to call a halt. At once he, too, caught sight of a slinking object, while Chu-Li declared that he had seen several.
'They are wolves without doubt, Excellency,' he said, 'and keep themselves as low down on the snow as possible, so as to come near without being seen. I had rather fight twenty men than the same number of those fierce brutes.'
'And I too,' agreed David. 'However, we have got to face the matter out. Jong, do you go on, leading the pack-ponies as fast as possible. Hu-Ty can take my mount as well as Chu-Li's, while we two will walk, firing at the wolves whenever we see them. A few good shots should make them keep their distance. If not, we will mount and ride as fast as the beasts will take us. In less than an hour at any rate we shall be at the village.'