But just then the moon, which had been hidden by the black clouds, appeared above the jagged top of a rock. In the moonlight I saw a ring of wolves around us. They had white teeth and lolling red tongues, long legs and shaggy hair. They were a hundred times more terrible sitting there in grim silence than they were when they howled. For myself, I was almost paralysed by fear. It is only when a man comes face to face with such horrors that he can understand their true meaning.

All at once the wolves began to howl as though the moonlight had had some peculiar effect on them. The horses jumped about and reared. They looked helplessly around and their eyes rolled in their heads. But they were surrounded by that living ring of terrible wolves on every side, and they had to remain there. I called to the coachman to come to help us. It seemed to me that our only chance was to try to drive the carriage out through the ring of wolves. To help the coachman to get near to us I shouted and beat the side of the carriage, since I hoped that the noise would scare the wolves and give the coachman a chance of reaching us. How the coachman did reach us I do not know, but I heard him shout a command, and when I looked towards the sound, I saw him standing in the roadway.