Book Seven: 1810-11 - Chapter V

by Leo Tolstoy

　　Nicholas Rostov meanwhile remained at his post, waiting for thewolf. By the way the hunt approached and receded, by the cries ofthe dogs whose notes were familiar to him, by the way the voices ofthe huntsmen approached, receded, and rose, he realized what washappening at the copse. He knew that young and old wolves werethere, that the hounds had separated into two packs, that somewherea wolf was being chased, and that something had gone wrong. Heexpected the wolf to come his way any moment. He made thousands ofdifferent conjectures as to where and from what side the beast wouldcome and how he would set upon it. Hope alternated with despair.Several times he addressed a prayer to God that the wolf should comehis way. He prayed with that passionate and shame-faced feeling withwhich men pray at moments of great excitement arising from trivialcauses. "What would it be to Thee to do this for me?" he said toGod. "I know Thou art great, and that it is a sin to ask this of Thee,but for God's sake do let the old wolf come my way and let Karayspring at it- in sight of 'Uncle' who is watching from over there- andseize it by the throat in a death grip!" A thousand times duringthat half-hour Rostov cast eager and restless glances over the edge ofthe wood, with the two scraggy oaks rising above the aspen undergrowthand the gully with its water-worn side and "Uncle's" cap justvisible above the bush on his right.

　　"No, I shan't have such luck," thought Rostov, "yet what wouldn't itbe worth! It is not to be! Everywhere, at cards and in war, I amalways unlucky." Memories of Austerlitz and of Dolokhov flashedrapidly and clearly through his mind. "Only once in my life to getan old wolf, I want only that!" thought he, straining eyes and earsand looking to the left and then to the right and listening to theslightest variation of note in the cries of the dogs.

　　Again he looked to the right and saw something running toward himacross the deserted field. "No, it can't be!" thought Rostov, taking adeep breath, as a man does at the coming of something long hopedfor. The height of happiness was reached- and so simply, withoutwarning, or noise, or display, that Rostov could not believe hiseyes and remained in doubt for over a second. The wolf ran forward andjumped heavily over a gully that lay in her path. She was an oldanimal with a gray back and big reddish belly. She ran withouthurry, evidently feeling sure that no one saw her. Rostov, holding hisbreath, looked round at the borzois. They stood or lay not seeingthe wolf or understanding the situation. Old Karay had turned his headand was angrily searching for fleas, baring his yellow teeth andsnapping at his hind legs.

　　"Ulyulyulyu!" whispered Rostov, pouting his lips. The borzois jumpedup, jerking the rings of the leashes and pricking their ears. Karayfinished scratching his hindquarters and, cocking his ears, got upwith quivering tail from which tufts of matted hair hung down.

　　"Shall I loose them or not?" Nicholas asked himself as the wolfapproached him coming from the copse. Suddenly the wolf's wholephysiognomy changed: she shuddered, seeing what she had probably neverseen before- human eyes fixed upon her- and turning her head alittle toward Rostov, she paused.

　　"Back or forward? Eh, no matter, forward..." the wolf seemed tosay to herself, and she moved forward without again looking roundand with a quiet, long, easy yet resolute lope.

　　"Ulyulyu!" cried Nicholas, in a voice not his own, and of its ownaccord his good horse darted headlong downhill, leaping over gulliesto head off the wolf, and the borzois passed it, running faster still.Nicholas did not hear his own cry nor feel that he was galloping,nor see the borzois, nor the ground over which he went: he saw onlythe wolf, who, increasing her speed, bounded on in the samedirection along the hollow. The first to come into view was Milka,with her black markings and powerful quarters, gaining upon thewolf. Nearer and nearer... now she was ahead of it; but the wolfturned its head to face her, and instead of putting on speed as sheusually did Milka suddenly raised her tail and stiffened her forelegs.

　　"Ulyulyulyulyu!" shouted Nicholas.

　　The reddish Lyubim rushed forward from behind Milka, sprangimpetuously at the wolf, and seized it by its hindquarters, butimmediately jumped aside in terror. The wolf crouched, gnashed herteeth, and again rose and bounded forward, followed at the distance ofa couple of feet by all the borzois, who did not get any closer toher.

　　"She'll get away! No, it's impossible!" thought Nicholas, stillshouting with a hoarse voice.

　　"Karay, ulyulyu!..." he shouted, looking round for the old borzoiwho was now his only hope. Karay, with all the strength age had lefthim, stretched himself to the utmost and, watching the wolf,galloped heavily aside to intercept it. But the quickness of thewolf's lope and the borzoi's slower pace made it plain that Karayhad miscalculated. Nicholas could already see not far in front ofhim the wood where the wolf would certainly escape should she reachit. But, coming toward him, he saw hounds and a huntsman gallopingalmost straight at the wolf. There was still hope. A long, yellowishyoung borzoi, one Nicholas did not know, from another leash, rushedimpetuously at the wolf from in front and almost knocked her over. Butthe wolf jumped up more quickly than anyone could have expected and,gnashing her teeth, flew at the yellowish borzoi, which, with apiercing yelp, fell with its head on the ground, bleeding from agash in its side.

　　"Karay? Old fellow!..." wailed Nicholas.

　　Thanks to the delay caused by this crossing of the wolf's path,the old dog with its felted hair hanging from its thigh was withinfive paces of it. As if aware of her danger, the wolf turned hereyes on Karay, tucked her tail yet further between her legs, andincreased her speed. But here Nicholas only saw that somethinghappened to Karay- the borzoi was suddenly on the wolf, and theyrolled together down into a gully just in front of them.

　　That instant, when Nicholas saw the wolf struggling in the gullywith the dogs, while from under them could be seen her gray hair andoutstretched hind leg and her frightened choking head, with her earslaid back (Karay was pinning her by the throat), was the happiestmoment of his life. With his hand on his saddlebow, he was ready todismount and stab the wolf, when she suddenly thrust her head upfrom among that mass of dogs, and then her forepaws were on the edgeof the gully. She clicked her teeth (Karay no longer had her by thethroat), leaped with a movement of her hind legs out of the gully, andhaving disengaged herself from the dogs, with tail tucked in again,went forward. Karay, his hair bristling, and probably bruised orwounded, climbed with difficulty out of the gully.

　　"Oh my God! Why?" Nicholas cried in despair.

　　"Uncle's" huntsman was galloping from the other side across thewolf's path and his borzois once more stopped the animal's advance.She was again hemmed in.

　　Nicholas and his attendant, with "Uncle" and his huntsman, wereall riding round the wolf, crying "ulyulyu!" shouting and preparing todismount each moment that the wolf crouched back, and starting forwardagain every time she shook herself and moved toward the wood where shewould be safe.

　　Already, at the beginning of this chase, Daniel, hearing theulyulyuing, had rushed out from the wood. He saw Karay seize the wolf,and checked his horse, supposing the affair to be over. But when hesaw that the horsemen did not dismount and that the wolf shook herselfand ran for safety, Daniel set his chestnut galloping, not at the wolfbut straight toward the wood, just as Karay had run to cut theanimal off. As a result of this, he galloped up to the wolf justwhen she had been stopped a second time by "Uncle's" borzois.

　　Daniel galloped up silently, holding a naked dagger in his left handand thrashing the laboring sides of his chestnut horse with his whipas if it were a flail.

　　Nicholas neither saw nor heard Daniel until the chestnut,breathing heavily, panted past him, and he heard the fall of a bodyand saw Daniel lying on the wolf's back among the dogs, trying toseize her by the ears. It was evident to the dogs, the hunters, and tothe wolf herself that all was now over. The terrified wolf pressedback her ears and tried to rise, but the borzois stuck to her.Daniel rose a little, took a step, and with his whole weight, as iflying down to rest, fell on the wolf, seizing her by the ears.Nicholas was about to stab her, but Daniel whispered, "Don't! We'llgag her!" and, changing his position, set his foot on the wolf's neck.A stick was thrust between her jaws and she was fastened with a leash,as if bridled, her legs were bound together, and Daniel rolled herover once or twice from side to side.

　　With happy, exhausted faces, they laid the old wolf, alive, on ashying and snorting horse and, accompanied by the dogs yelping at her,took her to the place where they were all to meet. The hounds hadkilled two of the cubs and the borzois three. The huntsmen assembledwith their booty and their stories, and all came to look at thewolf, which, with her broad-browed head hanging down and the bittenstick between her jaws, gazed with great glassy eyes at this crowdof dogs and men surrounding her. When she was touched, she jerkedher bound legs and looked wildly yet simply at everybody. Old CountRostov also rode up and touched the wolf.

　　"Oh, what a formidable one!" said he. "A formidable one, eh?" heasked Daniel, who was standing near.

　　"Yes, your excellency," answered Daniel, quickly doffing his cap.

　　The count remembered the wolf he had let slip and his encounter withDaniel.

　　"Ah, but you are a crusty fellow, friend!" said the count.

　　For sole reply Daniel gave him a shy, childlike, meek, and amiablesmile.