156 SPORTING ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 



dash of the fox -hound or harrier. This creature would 

 run mute and very slowly, and was as much under control 

 as a well-broken sheep-dog. When a wolf was found in 

 the woods, and its quarters were known, the hunter placed 

 a piece of poisoned meat there, and the next morning, as a 

 rule, he had another robe to add to his collection of pel- 

 tries. This dog was owned by a stock-raiser and hunter, 

 and nothing could induce him to part with it. 



Several keen sportsmen keep a few hounds for the spe- 

 cial purpose of wolf-hunting ; but as they are no match in 

 speed for their long-legged cousin, one or two greyhounds 

 have to be used as auxiliaries, and when the quarry is get- 

 ting too far ahead these are slipped, and they soon over- 

 take it and keep it at bay, despite all its rushing and snarl- 

 ing, until the hounds and mounted huntsmen arrive. 



If the wolf is young, the hounds are allowed to kill it 

 themselves, in order to encourage them ; but if it is an old 

 one, it can inflict too much injury on light, weak dogs in 

 a death-struggle to make the contest anything but interest- 

 ing to their owner. 



One of the most stirring hunting scenes imaginable is to 

 follow a large pack of hounds in pursuit of a wolf over the 

 level prairie on a fine morning in spring or autumn, and 

 then to be in at the death. It has all the elements of the 

 highest class of sport in it, and hounds and horses seem to 

 enjoy it as well as the men. I recall distinctly such a hunt 

 on the plains of Kansas. The pack consisted of fifteen 

 couples of fairly fast fox-hounds trained to wolf-hunting, 

 and two large Scotch deer-hounds, and they were followed 

 by twenty men, who were well mounted, and armed with 

 revolvers. When the quarry was driven out of a small 

 coppice of poplars, it broke away over the prairie, with the 

 hounds in full cry behind it, the deer-hounds being led by 

 a leash beside one of the horses. Over the magnificent 

 prairie, which extended in an unbroken line to the horizon 

 like a vast flower-clad meadow, we dashed at the best pace 

 of our fresh and spirited steeds, nor did we pull rein until 

 we had covered at least ten miles, the pack being all that 



