164 SPORTING ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 



ing the Pacific Ocean, and occupies a position of promi- 

 nence not accorded to any other animal. While it is 

 common everywhere in the Far West, it is unusually 

 abundant on the great plains of the Columbia east of the 

 Cascade Range, as it finds plenty of food there in the in- 

 numerable sage-hares, ground-squirrels, badgers, and other 

 small game that inhabit the country ; while it enjoys a 

 feast, that lasts for several months, off the myriads of 

 dead salmon that strew the banks of the Columbia and 

 its numerous tributaries during the spawning season. I 

 have seen coyotes trotting up and down the shores of 

 these rivers in large packs during the spring and summer, 

 and fighting and snarling over any offal washed ashore by 

 the waves. 



It has so little fear of man in that region that it will 

 impudently stare at him as he passes by, perhaps within 

 revolver range ; and should he fire at it and miss, the re- 

 sult might be that it would trot off a few paces, then turn 

 about and gaze once more with an expression in which 

 one might read, "I wonder who that is? what could he 

 mean by making that noise? he evidently is no friend of 

 mine, so I'll be off to safer quarters ;" and, having come 

 to this conclusion, it would quietly move off as if it were 

 in no great hurry to display its fears. Should one repeat 

 the fire, however, it would become a dissolving view, for, 

 when put to it, few of its genus can make better time for 

 a short distance, say from ten to fifteen or twenty miles. 

 It has so little running to do in search of its prey in the 

 Far West, owing to the profusion of animal life, that its 

 full powers of speed have not been fully developed, and 

 its wind is not good, if driven hard by swift-footed fox- 

 hounds, for more than two or three hours. I have myself, 

 when mounted on a good horse, overtaken it in a run of 

 fifteen or twenty minutes; but I must say that the pace 

 was killing on my steed, and that I plied the whip occa- 

 sionally. 



One of my greatest amusements in a certain portion of 

 California was to mount a horse belonging to a friend, and 



