IN THE FAR WEST. 123 



hearing the baying. "How is that?" said I. " Why, she 

 ran for the top along a dry ravine," said he, " where the scent 

 is hard to follow, and as soon as she got there she forded a 

 small stream and doubled back to her young ones, and the 

 hounds have been puzzling over the trail until a few minutes 

 ago when they probably struck it by accident ; but now they 

 are going to push her hard, for she must either break from cover 

 or double on her tracks, and in either case she will be over- 

 taken in less than an hour." " What do you suppose she will 

 do ? " said I. " Why, she'll visit her nest," was the response, 

 " and finding the youngsters gone, will head for the plains, for 

 a mother wolf will not stop in a section where she has lost her 

 cubs. If she leaves the forest we may have a gallop after her 

 over the plains, and you will then see what beautiful coursing 

 a wolf can show, and what tact it will display in using cover 

 and in selecting the worst possible place for the scent to lie." 

 During this conversation the canine music was drawing rapidly 

 near, so we prepared for a run by hurrying to the outer edge 

 of the woods, and occupying such a position that we could see 

 any object leaving it within a convenient distance. We had 

 not taken our stand fifteen minutes before the wolf broke cover 

 so near us that we could have shot her if we wished ; but as 

 we desired to see a run, we allowed her to escape. Heading 

 down wind, the terrified creature sped onwards with immense 

 strides, and we followed in hot pursuit. The dogs soon 

 joined us, and with foam-flecked mouths and lolling tongues 

 streamed past us at a pace 1 had never seen hounds equal. 

 The fugitive kept her lead for two or three miles, although 

 our mustangs were fresh and fleet, but the hounds finally 

 began to gain upon her, the ground being open ; she soon 

 struck into a rough country, however, which was seamed by 

 two or three small rivulets, and portions of which were dry 

 masses of indurated clay that could scarcely produce a spear 

 of grass, and over this she regained her lead by resorting to 

 stratagems. She ran along the banks of a ravine, then into 

 the water, moving down with the slow current, and, escaping 

 some distance below, made for the hillocks of bare earth, <>r 

 where the prickly pear grew thickest; and this trick she 



