152 FROM NORTH POLE TO EQUATOR. 



herself terribly, following the robber to his village home, and falling 

 with unbounded rage upon all his herds. For fear of this revenge, 

 every Siberian passes by any wolf-litter which he finds, and only 

 now and then does he dare to cut the Achilles tendon of the whelps, 

 thus laming them and keeping them near their birthplace until the 

 time of the autumn hunt. For, as they grow up, the mother's love 

 is supposed to disappear, at least her thirst for revenge grows less, 

 and the skins of the young wolves caught in autumn reward the 

 clever foresight of the cunning peasant. 



According to locality and opportunity, the methods employed in 

 the capture of the wolf vary greatly. Pitfalls, traps, strychnine, 

 and the spring -bows already described do good service; actual 

 driving is seldom successful. A favourite method is to pursue the 

 wolf with sledges, and to shoot him from the sledge. To attract 

 the wolf within range an ingenious device is resorted to. An old, 

 steady, or worn-out horse is yoked to a large sledge, in which four 

 comrades the driver, two marksmen, and a fair-sized sucking- 

 pig take their places. The driver, whose sole duty is to look after 

 his horse, takes the front seat ; the marksmen sit behind, and the 

 pig lies in a bag between their feet. Towards evening the mixed 

 company sets off along a well-beaten road to a part of the forest 

 where during the day fresh wolf-tracks were seen. On to the 

 track one of the hunters throws a bag stuffed with hay, and fastened 

 to the sledge by a long line; while this trails along, the other hunter 

 teases the young pig, and makes it squeal. Isegrim hears the 

 complaint, and probably thinking that it comes from a young boar 

 separated from its mother, draws near quietly and carefully, that is, 

 as far as possible hidden from the road. He perceives the bundle 

 trailing behind the sledge, supposes this to be the squealing pig, 

 and, after some consideration, determines to put an end to its 

 sufferings. With a great bound he leaps upon the course, and 

 eagerly rushes after the sledge. What does he care for the threaten- 

 ing forms which it bears? Such he has often inspected close at 

 hand, and robbed before their very eyes. Nearer and nearer he 

 comes, gaining on the now quickened sledge; crueller tormenting 

 makes the pig utter louder and more clamant squeals; they are 



