OR, THE WORLD HAS CHANGED. 



123 



could I speak a worcl for want of breath ; for sometime we 

 stared at each other ; but, oh! I felt so thankful that I was 

 safe, when sufficiently recovered. I tried to make the Sweede 

 understand my narrow escape from the wolves, and just about 

 the time I thought he was catching on to my signs, the fool 

 commenced langhing as if his very sides would split open, and 

 then I feared he had lost his reason from fright, but after a 

 spell he checked up and I succeeded in making him under- 

 stand that I was Noble's friend; he indicated to me that 

 Noble had sone out but would soon return, and gave me a lunch 

 and showed me a cot. I could not sleep after so much 

 excitement, and my heart was so full of gratitude that my 

 unworthy life had been spared by what appeared to be a 

 special interposition of Providence. As I lay there in the cot, 

 I reflected much and tried to repent of my many mis- 

 deeds and shortcomings, and formed many good resolutions for 

 future conduct. 



Late in the night I heard my friend Noble return, heard him 

 talking to the cook and heard them both laughing; after 

 awhile^Noble came in and recognized me with great joy, and 

 as soon as our first greeting was over I tried to tell him of my 

 wonderful escape from the terrible wolves, when to my aston- 

 ishment and mortification he broke out into a hysterical fit of 

 laughter, and laughed until the tears rolled down his cheeks. 

 He^saw^ that I felt hurt and as soon as he could recover his 

 faculties he said: "Why Dave, they were nothing but harm- 

 less coyotes, and were never known to attack a man." I told 

 him how large they were and how their eyes gleamed on me. 

 He said : " No, they were not half as large as the Blue Ridge 

 wolf, and absolutely harmless. 



But those pretended wolves had hurt my feelings and I 

 determined to be avenged upon them, and before I left the 

 California prairies, killed as many of them as I thought tried to 

 kill me. 



