Wolf-Coursing 



placed in the slips ; one of them, Zlooem, a 

 magnificent animal, all power and life, who 

 had won the Czar's gold medal in St. Peters- 

 burg in a wolf contest, impressed me forcibly 

 with the idea that, if he once obtained a throat 

 hold, it would be all over with the wolf. On 

 this occasion I had a most excellent mount, a 

 thoroughbred Kentucky race mare, and, as one 

 of the conditions of the match was that I 

 alone was to be allowed to follow the hounds, 

 I determined to stay with them throughout 

 the run at all hazards, and to be in at the 

 death. The wolf was put up in the bottom 

 land of the Platte River. The footing was 

 excellent, and, as he had but a few hundred 

 yards' start, I was enabled to be within fifty 

 yards of them throughout the run and fighting. 

 The wolf at first started off as though he had 

 decided to depend upon speed to save his 

 pelt, disdaining to employ his usual stratagem, 

 and the hounds gained but little upon him. 

 Finding that but one horseman and two 

 strange-looking animals were following him, 

 he slackened his pace, and in an incredibly 

 short time Zlooem was upon even terms with 

 him, and, seizing by the throat, over and over 

 they went in a cloud of sand, from which the 



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