THE GRAY WOLF. 149 



rocks. Tying them in couples by the legs, they were 

 placed on the top of a huge bowlder to prevent them from 

 falling into the jaws of the hounds ; and, to keep them 

 from tumbling down, a barricade was laid around them. 

 Feeling assured of their safety, we prepared to follow the 

 pack, but we had advanced scarcely one hundred yards be- 

 fore the canine chorus was heard approaching us a little 

 to the right. " That wolf has played them a nice game," 

 was the comment of my companion on hearing the baying. 

 " How is that ?" said I. " Why, she ran for the top along 

 a dry ravine," said he, " where the scent is hard to follow ; 

 and as soon as she got there she forded a small stream and 

 doubled back to her young ones, and the hounds have been 

 puzzling over the trail until a few minutes ago, when they 

 probably struck it by accident ; but now they are going to 

 push her hard ; for she must either break from cover or 

 double on her tracks, and in either case she will be over- 

 taken in less than an hour." " What do you suppose she 

 will do ?" said I. " Why, she'll visit her nest," was the 

 response, " and, finding the youngsters gone, will head for 

 the plains ; for a mother-wolf will not stop in a section 

 where she has lost her cubs. If she leaves the forest, we 

 may have a gallop after her over the plains, and you will 

 then see what beautiful coursing a wolf can show, and what 

 tact it will display in using cover, and in selecting the worst 

 possible place for the scent to lie." 



During this conversation the canine music was drawing 

 rapidly near ; so we prepared for a run by hurrying to the 

 outer edge of the woods, and occupying such a position 

 that we could see any object leaving it within a convenient 

 distance. We had not taken our stand fifteen minutes, be- 

 fore the wolf broke cover so near us that we could have 

 shot her if we wished ; but as we desired to see a run, wo 

 allowed her to escape. Heading down wind, the terrified 

 creature sped onward with immense strides, and we follow- 

 ed in hot pursuit. The hounds soon joined us, and, with 

 foam-flecked mouth and lolling tongue, streamed past us at 

 a pace I had never seen hounds equal. The fugitive kept 



