354 FORTY-POUR YEARS OF 



above supposition is correct, for a wolf is, beyond all other 

 animals, the most cunning. 



After having sat some time in the tree, as still as possi- 

 ble, I heard a rustling noise behind me ; but though I 

 turned round, and looked with great care, I could see no- 

 thing, I seated myself again, and heard a stone knock, as 

 if some animal, having trod on one end of it, when the 

 weight was taken oflF, the stone had again fallen back to 

 its place. This time I was sure there was either a bear, 

 wolf, or panther near ; and was expecting to see it every 

 moment, when a man spoke to me, and asked : "Why don't 

 you shoot ? " It was my son William, who had also come 

 to watch the deer lick. He came up to me, and sat down 

 a little while, when two pretty little red deer made their 

 appearance. He shot at the foremost one, and then asked 

 me for my gun ; but I modestly declined to let him kill 

 both, telling him that I would try a hand myself. I fired, 

 and down dropped mine, while his was dying ; and by the 

 time we reached them, they were both dead ; so we picked 

 them up, and carried them to my fire. 



There we found two men, who had come thither to hunt 

 the wolves. One of them had been out the night before, 

 and had heard the wolves howling ; but being afraid to 

 attack them by himself, he had induced William and an- 

 other to help him to hunt them. On their way out they 

 found my horse's tracks, and followed me until they found 

 the boy at the fire, who told William where I was gone, 

 whereupon he came to me at the lick. The night being 

 warm and pleasant, we all enjoyed ourselves finely, roast- 

 ing venison, and planning how to take advantage of the 

 wolves the following morning. After all had expressed 

 their views as to the best mode of attack, we lay down and 

 Blept until daylight next morning. After breakfast, we 

 were all ready for the attack ; and as each scalp of the old 

 wolves was worth thirty dollars, aud those of the young 



