A WOLF-BUN. 175 



to be moving, and off he goes, best foot foremost ; but his 

 persecutors are in attendance. A hundred or two yards may 

 be traversed, and again he is brought up standing from a 

 similar cause ; thus the game is played till the wolf is 

 exhausted, and the sportsman gets sufficiently close to end 

 the episode by a well-directed pistol-bullet through the 

 grizzly marauder's cranium. 



Spearing the wolf on horseback is also capital sport ; 

 but it takes a great deal out of your nag, for the scoundrel 

 while fresh will double almost as sharply as a hare, and 

 from his wonderful lasting powers take you over an 

 immense distance, he invariably choosing the roughest 

 ground. In this mode also you must constantly be on the 

 qui vive, for if opportunity offers he will make either your 

 horse or yourself acquainted with his grinders, and a snap 

 from him will be a memento. In the neighbourhood of 

 Fort Eiley an accident of this kind almost occurred to me. 

 A large grey wolf jumped up before me, and as my horse 

 was fresh and the afternoon cool, I made up my mind for 

 a run. Drawing my revolver, and taking my nag in hand, 

 we were soon skimming the prairie at a slashing pace. 

 After a mile of this work I ranged alongside, but on 

 several occasions when about to press the trigger, the wolf 

 wheeled sharply to the right or left, once very nearly 

 throwing my nag on his head. More determined to draw 

 blood from the trick practised on me, I was soon again at 

 his tail ; but the foe tried a new and quite unexpected 

 ruse, viz. suddenly slackening his pace, and as I overshot 

 him, made a most wicked snap at my off foot, which 

 fortunately was protected by a heavy cow-hide boot; but 



