ffOLVES,— THEIR SAOACITT. 79 



A few scattering trees at the right of the bottom, here mark the transi- 

 tion to the high prairie. One of these was the war-eagle's eyry, npon 

 which she rears her annual brood, and teaches it to soar fer away, or levy 

 tribute from the surrounding wilderness. 



The proud bird of Jove was yet sailing aloft, in silent majesty, almost lost 

 to vision in the long space of intervening blue '^at told the grandeur of her 

 flight ; and, tinged with the purple and gold of tlie setting sun, she seemed 

 looking down with a jealous eye upon the unwonted invaders of h© 

 earthly home. A few light clouds, garnished with day's departing glory 

 danced atliwart the western sky, as tiie full moon arose, hastening to re 

 enter her nightly pathway, and course amid the array of glittering worlds 

 and smile upon the wide realms of Solitude ; — while countless herds oi 

 grazing bufialo covered the prairies on either side of the broad and silenr 

 river ; and naught met the listening ear, save the doleeome hooting of the 

 midnight owl, as she resumed her nocturnal ditty, to enhance the deep 

 melancholy of loneliness ; or the shrill whistlings of the prairie-Avinds, as 

 they sported in mirtli and chanted their requiems to the dying year ; or the 

 terrific bellowings of the hoarse-toned bison, the softening cadence of whose 

 voices sounded trebly mournful as it swept far along and became lost in 

 the distance ; or yet, the dismal howhngs of the half-starved wdves, that 

 gathered by scores upon every hiU-top and renewed, in more piteoua accents, 

 meur ceaseless concert ; — all these united to invest the scene, so magnifi- 

 cent in itself, with a savage wildness, at once incitive of terror and admi- 

 ration. 



In our progress during the day I remarked, at frequent intervals, bar« 

 places coated with saline efflorescences, and occasional plats of fine bloish 

 grass, (herba salee,) — appearances quite common from this onward. 



(Mr night slumbers were disturbed by the quick discharge of firearms, 

 which instantly brought every man to his feet, rifle in hand. The canse 

 of this alarm was the appearance of a mad wolf among the caravan ani- 

 mals, and several shots were fired before the guard could despatch him. 

 He proved one of tlie largest of his species, and looked fearful as his 

 blood-red eyeballs and foaming mouth were exposed by the camp-fire. 



In the morning it was ascertained he had bitten nine head of horses and 

 cattle. 



The buflalo range aflbrds every variety of wolves, common to the moun- 

 tains and regions still further west. Of these there are five distinct classi- 

 fications, viz : The big white, or buffalo wolf ; the shaggy brown ; the 

 black ; the gray, or prairie wolf ; and the cayeute, (wa-chunka-monet,) or 

 medicine-wolf of the Indians. 



The white and brown wolves are the most ntimerons, and follow the 

 buflalo in bands of hundreds, subsisting upon the carcases of such as die 

 of themselves or are slaughtered as their necessities demand. 



These wolves behave ■with great sagacity in their predatory operationsj 

 and appear to exercise a perfect understanding and concert of action with 

 each other on such occasions. First, stationing themselves by files at 

 given distances along the course their intended victim is e.Tpected to run, 

 *wo or more of them enter the herd of unconscious baffido, and, ^ingUpg 



