Wolves and lVolf-Ho^tnds. 397 



at bay ; yet I think they would have succeeded in the end, 

 had I not interfered. Coyotes are bold and cunning in 

 raiding the settlers' barn-yards for lambs and hens ; and 

 they have an especial liking for tame cats. If there are 

 coyotes in the neighborhood a cat which gets into the 

 habit of wandering from home is surely lost. 



Though, I have never known wolves to attack a man, 

 yet in the wilder portion of the far Northwest I have heard 

 them come around camp very close, growling so savagely 

 as to make one almost reluctant to leave the camp fire and 

 go out into the darkness unarmed. Once I was camped 

 in the fall near a lonely little lake in the mountains, by the 

 edge of quite a broad stream. Soon after nightfall three 

 or four wolves came around camp and kept me awake by 

 their sinister and dismal howling. Two or three times 

 they came so close to the fire that I could hear them snap 

 their jaws and growl, and at one time I positively thought 

 that they intended to try to get into camp, so excited were 

 they by the smell of the fresh meat. After a while they 

 stopped howling ; and then all was silent for an hour or 

 so. I let the fire go out and was turning into bed when 

 I suddenly heard some animal of considerable size come 

 down to the stream nearly opposite me and begin to splash 

 across, first wading, then swimming. It was pitch dark 

 and I could not possibly see, but I felt sure it was a wolf. 

 However after coming half-way over it changed its mind 

 and swam back to the opposite bank ; nor did I see or 

 hear anything more of the night marauders. 



Five or six times on the plains or on my ranch I have 

 had shots at wolves, always obtained by accident and al- 



