Seite 437 von 483

Some weeks before this period I had procured a sledge and dogs

and thus traversed the snows with inconceivable speed. I know not

whether the fiend possessed the same advantages, but I found

that, as before I had daily lost ground in the pursuit, I now

gained on him, so much so that when I first saw the ocean he was

but one day's journey in advance, and I hoped to intercept him

before he should reach the beach. With new courage, therefore, I

pressed on, and in two days arrived at a wretched hamlet on the

seashore. I inquired of the inhabitants concerning the fiend and

gained accurate information. A gigantic monster, they said, had

arrived the night before, armed with a gun and many pistols,

putting to flight the inhabitants of a solitary cottage through

fear of his terrific appearance.