NOTES FROM THE PRAIRIE 103 



cropped out of the ground, and poke in there with 

 a stick, to see a wolf pop out scared almost to death. 

 As to the big wolves, it was dangerous sport to 

 meddle with them. I had an experience with them 

 one winter that would have begotten a desire to keep 

 a proper distance from them, had I not felt it before. 

 An intensely cold night three of us were riding in 

 an open wagon on one seat. The road ran for about 

 a mile through the woods, and as we entered it 

 four or five gray wolves sprang out at us; the horse 

 needed no urging, you may be sure, but to me it 

 seemed an age before we got out into the moonlight 

 on the prairie; then the wolves slunk back into the 

 woods. Every leap they made it seemed as if they 

 would jump into the wagon. I could hear them 

 strike against the back of it, and hear their teeth 

 click together as they barely missed my hand where 

 I held on to the seat to keep from being thrown out. 

 My most prominent desire about that time was to 

 sit in the middle, and let some one else have the 

 outside seat. 



" Grandfather was very fond of trapping, and 

 used to catch a great many wolves for their skins 

 and the bounty ; also minks and muskrats. I al- 

 ways had to help skin them, which I considered 

 dreadful, especially skinning the muskrats; but as 

 that was the only condition under which I was 

 allowed to go along, of course I submitted, for I 

 wouldn't miss the excitement of seeing whether we 

 had succeeded in outwitting and catching the sly 

 creatures for any consideration. The beautiful 



