812 Life-histories of Northern Animals 



hungry-eyed, and their fur was long and shaggy. They ap- 

 peared to have lost nearly all the sense of fear of man, for they 

 would hardly move out of the way of a horseman. They came 

 into the towns and several were killed in the yards of the 

 dwellings. One, I remember hearing of, walked into the par- 

 lour at the front door, and while yet inside was killed with a 

 garden hoe by the lady of the house. These many little 

 encounters, however, were considered as only matters of 

 pleasant gossip, and no one thought of any possible danger 

 coming from them. 



"In late June of 1892 three men camped for the night 

 midway between the village of Ascension and the Boca Grande, 

 near one of the watering places on the river. They were on 

 the range in search of cattle, and, as is common with cowboys, 

 after the horses were hobbled out and supper over, they spread 

 their blankets on the ground. A wide bed was made and 

 about nine o'clock they lay down to sleep, Derby Johnson 

 occupying one side, and the Jacobson brothers the other two 

 places. 



"One of the Jacobsons was anxious about the horses and 

 did not sleep soundly. In a few hours he was startled from 

 a state of semi-wakefulness by a muffled sound, and seeing 

 Derby sitting up in bed, and thinking something might be 

 wrong with the animals, began to sit up also. As he did so 

 he saw what appeared to be the tail of a Coyote moving to and 

 fro. He sprang to his feet. The animal with its teeth fastened 

 on the right jaw of his friend, just to the right of the chin, was 

 clinging with the tenacity of madness; while Derby, apparently 

 frozen by awful sensations, sat clasping the Coyote by the neck 

 with both hands, one on each side. It was clear the only way 

 the animal could be removed was by prying open its mouth. 

 The brothers were strong men. Unconscious of the danger to 

 themselves, or disregarding it, they took hold of the fastened 

 jaws and broke them apart, the lower one being entirely 

 wrenched from its place. They threw the Coyote to one side, 

 but, with its lower jaw dangling downward and with menacing 

 growls, it came towards them again. The young man, 



