THE WOLF 153 



of the Wolf, a well armed traveller has often reached a place 

 of safety. When the pack is in full cry and the occupant of 

 the sledge fires into them, the wounded animal is at once 

 fallen upon by its companions and devoured. During this 

 respite the sledge has made good progress, only to be over- 

 hauled again by the hungry beasts, when the driver repeats 

 his manoeuvre. Sometimes the ammunition has failed and 

 horses and travellers have been devoured. 



Almost incredible are the tales which are told of the 

 ferocious obstinacy of the Wolf when it casts aside its 

 natural fear and dread of man. A man-eating Wolf is more 

 to be feared than lion, tiger, or leopard. It is a dog, and 

 has far more intellect than any of the cats. It has a way of 

 working in concert with other Wolves, one diverting atten- 

 tion while the other makes off with the prey. No one ever 

 heard of a troop of lions, tigers, or leopards chasing prey in 

 concert. A lion and his mate will sometimes work together, 

 but the capacity for chasing prey in packs belongs to the 

 dogs and not to the cats. 



' In the commencement of the reign of Louis XIV., in the 

 depth of winter and of the snows, a large party of dragoons 

 was attacked near Pontarlier, at the foot of the mountains 

 of Jura, by a multitude of Wolves. The dragoons fought 

 bravely and killed many hundreds of them ; but at last, 

 overpowered by numbers, they and their horses were all 

 devoured. A cross is erected on the place of combat, with 

 an inscription in commemoration of it, which is to be seen 

 at this day.' 



By taking joint action the Wolf is enabled to overcome 

 other animals that would outrun or overpower it singly. 

 Half-a-dozen Wolves will stalk an antelope and stealthily 

 form a cordon round it, or drive it to a point where one 

 of their number is lying in ambush. Buffaloes, too, are 

 killed by the brutes in an ingenious manner. In an ordinary 

 way and with ordinary animals a buffalo is a tough cus- 

 tomer, but the Wolves contrive their business very effectively. 

 They drive the doomed animal to the edge of a cliff, over 

 which they force it by flying at its nose. Their purpose 

 accomplished, the Wolves jog quietly down and pick its 

 bones. 



