The Home of the }Vok>ciriic and Beaver. 141 



his rifle to our care. We were not a little surprised 

 at the cowardice of the wolves. The woodman 

 stretched out their hind legs, in succession, and 

 with a stroke of the knife cut the principal tendon 

 above the joint, exhibiting as little fear as if he had 

 been marking lambs. As soon as he had thus dis- 

 abled the wolves, he got out, but had to return to 

 the house for a rope, which he had not thought of. 

 He returned quickly, and, whilst I secured the 

 platform in a perpendicular position on its axis, he 

 make a slip-knot at one end of the rope, and threw 

 it over the head of one of the wolves. We now 

 hauled the terrified animal up ; and motionless with 

 fright, half choked, and disabled in its hind legs, the 

 farmer slipped the rope from its neck and left it to the 

 mercy of the dogs, who set upon it with great fury, 

 and worried it to death. The second was dealt 

 with in the same manner ; but the third, which was 

 probably oldest, showed some spirit the moment 

 the dogs were set upon it, and scuffled along on its 

 forelegs at a surprising rate, snapping all the while 

 furiously at the dogs, several of which it bit severely ; 

 and so well did the desperate animal defend itself, 

 that the farmer, apprehensive of its killing some of 

 his pack, ran up and knocked it on the head with 

 his axe. This wolf was a female, and was blacker 

 than the other dark-coloured one." 



