130 



AN AMERICAN HUNTER 



fighter though a great dog-wolf is, he stands no show be- 

 fore the onslaught of ten such hounds, agile and power- 

 ful, who rush on their antagonist in a body. Massingale's 

 dogs possessed great power in their jaws, and unless he 

 was up within two or three minutes after the wolf was 

 overtaken, they tore him to death, though one or more 

 of their number might be killed or crippled in the fight. 

 The wolf might be throttled without having the hide 

 on its neck torn; but when it was stretched out the dogs 

 ripped open its belly. Dogs do not get their teeth 

 through the skin of an old cougar; but they will tear up 

 either a bobcat or coyote. 



In 1894 an d 1896 I saw a number of wolves on the 

 Little Missouri, although I was not looking for them. I 

 frequently came upon the remains of sheep and young 

 stock which they had killed; and once, upon the top of 

 a small plateau, I found the body of a large steer, while 

 the torn and trodden ground showed that he had fought 

 hard for his life before succumbing. There had been 

 two wolves engaged in the work, and the cunning beasts 

 had evidently acted in concert. Apparently, while one 

 attracted the steer's attention in front, the other, accord- 

 ing to the invariable wolf habit, attacked him from be- 

 hind, hamstringing him and tearing out his flanks. His 

 body was still warm when I came up, but the marauders 

 had slunk off, either seeing or smelling me. There was 

 no mistaking the criminals, however, for, unlike bears, 

 which usually attack an animal at the withers, or cougars, 

 which attack the throat or head, wolves almost invariably 

 attack their victim at the hind quarters and begin first 



