WOLVES,— THEIR SAGACITY. 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, upon 

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

 tribute from the surrounding *■. ilderness. 



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

 to vision in the long space of intervening blue that told the grandeur of her 

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

 looking down with a jealouo eye upon the unvvonted invaders of he 

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

 danced athwart the western sky, as the full moon arose, hastening to re- 

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

 and smi'e upon the wide realms of Solitude ; — while countless herds of 

 grazing buffalo covered the prairies on either side of the broad and silent 

 river ; and naught met the listening ear, save the dolesome 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-winds, as 

 they sported in mirth 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 bowlings of the hall-starved wolves, that 

 gathered by scores upon every hill-top and renewed, in more piteous accents, 

 their 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 ttie day I remarked, at frequent intervals, bare 

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

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



Our niglit slumbers were disturbed by the quick discharge of firearms, 

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

 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 the 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 bufi"alo range afl^jrds every variety of wolves, common to the moun- 

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

 fications, viz : Tlie big white, or bulfalo wolf ; the shaggy brown ; the 

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

 medicine-Vv'olf of the Indians. 



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

 buffalo 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 operations, 

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

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

 given distances along the course their intended victim is expected to run, 

 two or more of them enter the herd of unconscious buffalo, and, singling 



