ON A WOLF-TRAIL. 181 



cedar ridges. On them the tracking became extremely 

 difficult. 



In many places the snow had entirely disappeared from 

 the ground, and the surface being hard, naked rock, on which 

 no trace, excepting an occasional chip or scratch made by the 

 trap was discernible, I frequently completely lost the trail, 

 and had to make wide circuits in order to strike it again, 

 where a softer surface or the presence of snow gave me a 

 chance of so doing. 



The close unremitting attention requisite to follow the 

 wolf had so preoccupied me, that I had hardly noticed the 

 flight of time, and was surprised by finding that sunset 

 was close at hand, but by then I was entirely under the 

 dominion of "the spirit of the chase." The ardour of 

 pursuit had been so heightened and intensified by the 

 difficulties encountered that to turn back never once 

 occurred to me ; and my self-respect as a hunter forbade 

 my abandoning a trail when it was going to become more 

 difficult. The moon, nearly a full one, had been up some 

 time, and gave sufficient light for a practised eye to 

 follow a track by ; so, availing myself of every stretch of 

 good ground to put my horse to his best gait, in order to 

 close as soon as possible on the nearly tired-out wolf, I still 

 pushed on. 



Soon the wolf again changed his course, and leaving the 

 ridges headed straight for the large open valley below our 

 camp. I feared he was going to take to the cover indeed 

 that was what I had been apprehensive of his doing for some 

 time but he did not. His last night's experience had no 



