236 STRATEGY OF WOLVES. 



The severe weather and frequent snows of the past two months, had 

 driven these animals from the open prairie into the creek bottoms and 

 mountains, whose vicinities were completely blackened with their countless 

 thousands. 



The antelope, too, seemed to have congregated from all parts, and cover- 

 ed the country in one almost unbroken band. Their numbers exceeded 

 any thing of the kind I ever witnessed before or since. We amused our- 

 selves at times in shooting them merely for their skins, the latter being su- 

 perior to those of deer or even sheep in its nicity of texture and silky soft- 

 ness. 



One day, as was my custom, I left camp for the above purpose, and had 

 proceeded but a short distance, when, happening upon a large band of ante- 

 lope, a discharge from my piece brought down one of its number. 



Before reaching it, however, my supposed victim had rejoined his com- 

 panions, and the whole throng were lost to view almost with the speed of 

 thought. 



The profuseness of blood that marked its trail through the snow, induced 

 me to follow it in expectation of soon obtaining the object of my pursuit ; 

 but in vain. 



At length, after travelHng four or five miles, I began to despair of suc- 

 cess, and, feeling weary, sat down upon the point of a small hill that com- 

 manded a view of the surrounding prairie. While here an unusual stir 

 among the wolves attracted my attention, and I amused myself by watch- 

 ing their movements. 



Upon a neighboring eminence some fifty or a hundred of these insatiate 

 marauders were congregated, as if for consultation. Adjoining this, two 

 parallel lines of low hills led out from the river bottom into the prairie, for 

 five or six miles, defining a narrow valley, at the extremity of which a 

 large band of antelope were quietly grazing. 



The chief topic of the wolfine conference seemed to have particular re- 

 ference to this circumstance ; for, in a very short time, the council dis- 

 persed, and its members betook to the hills skirting the valley before de- 

 scribed, and, stationing themselves upon both lines at regular intervals, 

 two of them commenced the attack by leisurely approaching their destined 

 prey from opposite directions, in such a manner as to drive the whole band 

 between the defile of hungry expectants. This done, the chase began 

 without further preliminary. 



Each wolf performed his part by pursuing the terrified antelope till re- 

 lieved by his next companion, and he by the succeeding one ; and so on, 

 alternately ; taking care to reverse their course at either extremity of the 

 defile — again and again to run the death-race, until, exhausted by the inces- 

 sant eflTort and crazed with terror, the agile animals, that were wont to bid 

 defiance to the swiftest steed, and rival the storm- wind in fleetness, fell 

 easy victims to the sagacity of their enemies. 



I watched the operation until several of them yielded their lifeless car- 

 cases to appease the appetite of their rapacious pursuers, when I returned 

 to camp with far more exalted ideas of the instinctive intelligence of wolves 

 (savoring so strongly of reason and calculation) than I had previously en- 

 tertained. 



