26 AN AMERICAN HUNTER 



in the thousandth and first case it might be that the tem- 

 per of the beast and the conditions were such that the 

 attack would be made. 



Other beasts show almost the same wide variation in 

 temper. Wolves, for instance, are normally exceedingly 

 wary of man. In this Colorado hunt I often came across 

 their tracks, and often heard their mournful, but to my 

 ears rather attractive, baying at night, but I never caught 

 a glimpse of one of them; nor during the years when I 

 spent much of my time on my ranch did I ever know of 

 a wolf venturing to approach anywhere near a man in 

 the day-time, though I have had them accompany me 

 after nightfall, and have occasionally come across them by 

 accident in daylight. But on the Keystone Ranch, where 

 I spent three weeks on this particular trip, an incident 

 which occurred before my arrival showed that wolves oc- 

 casionally act with extraordinary boldness. The former 

 owner of the ranch, Colonel Price, and one of the cow- 

 hands, Sabey (both of whom told me the story), were 

 driving out in a buggy from Meeker to the ranch accom- 

 panied by a setter dog. They had no weapon with them. 

 Two wolves joined them and made every effort to get 

 at the dog. They accompanied the wagon for nearly a 

 mile, venturing to within twenty yards of it. They paid 

 no heed whatever to the shouts and gestures of the men, 

 but did not quite dare to come to close quarters, and 

 finally abandoned their effort. Now, this action on their 

 part was, as far as my experience goes, quite as excep- 

 tional among American wolves as it is exceptional for 

 a cougar to attack a man. Of course, these wolves were 



