How beautiful the forest was! First they drove for awhile along the main road where there was good driving. The seven horses went in a line, one after the other and Hans the Grenadier and Viggo and Allarm walked behind the first one. On both sides of the road stood tall pines with their yellow trunks reaching out of the snow. Here and there between them stood an old fir with its branches hanging down to the ground. The needles couldn't be seen at all as it was white with snow from top to bottom—there you could see its dark brown leg. And all the young trees on both sides stood bent to the ground under the weight of the snow. It looked as if they had dressed in heavy white robes against the cold and stood there bowing to all who went past. But they made no loud greetings. No, the forest was so still, so still you could not hear the least sound except the horses' hoofs crunching in the snow. Here and there Viggo saw the foot-prints of a wolf beside the road. Then he always told Allarm to keep close by him, and that he did.
But after awhile they left the road and turned into the thick forest. Hans the Grenadier waded in front and the snow came to his knees, then came the horses and the boys, one after the other, and at last Viggo. It was a fine tramp. The snow came sifting down from twigs and boughs, so the men were white like snowmen, and the steam rose in clouds from the horses because the snow melted on them.
After a while they came to the logs and began to hitch them to the horses. Then suddenly Viggo remembered Allarm; he had forgotten all about the dog since they turned away from the road. He looked around him, and just then he heard Allarm whine and howl somewhere in the depths of the forest.
As quick as lightning he grabbed an ax which Old Hans had hewed into the stump of a tree and rushed in through the trees in the direction from which the howling came. It was not easy, he ran over the wild fields, and the snow reached far above his knees, but he noticed nothing, he only feared he would be too late. Once he had to stop a little to draw breath, then again he heard the pitiful wail of the dog, but now it sounded fainter. Off Viggo rushed again, and at last he spied something between the trees. He did not see his dog, but three wolves stood in a circle, heads turned toward the center, the fourth one lay inside the ring and bit something in the snow.
Viggo shouted so that it thundered in the forest, and rushed against the wolves with lifted ax. When he came within seven or eight feet distance from them, the greylegs got frightened and sneaked, tail between the legs, far into the dark forest, but the fourth one, who lay on top of Allarm, hated to give up his prey. It was a large yellow wolf. He looked up at Viggo and showed his bloody teeth. But Viggo only thought of the dog's danger. "Let go of Allarm. Let go of my dog or I'll teach you!" he cried and swung the axe high above his head. Then greylegs thought he had better not try the game and sneaked slowly away after the others. He turned once and howled and showed his teeth, and then he disappeared between the white bushes.
"Let go of my dog or I'll teach you!"
Far down in a hole in the snow lay Allarm. He was so bitten that he could not jump to his feet and, when Viggo lifted him, the blood dripped down on the white snow. His whole body shivered and shook like an aspen leaf, but he licked Viggo's hand.