142 A SPORTING PARADISE 



The wolf had but a few yards the start ; and 

 under such circumstances, although the fleetest 

 of his congeners, he stood no chance of escaping 

 from his still fleeter enemies ; in fact, before 

 he had run fifty yards he was caught by the 

 flanks and stopped. Here a most furious fight 

 commenced : it is a well-known fact that the 

 greyhound is sometimes a severe fighter, owing 

 to his great activity and his quick, slashing snap, 

 and Hoskins's dogs were, in addition, in the 

 habit of coursing the prairie-wolf during the 

 fall and winter months, on which occasions the 

 affair was very generally, after a short chase, 

 terminated in about one minute, by the victim 

 having his throat and bowels torn into ribands. 

 This, however, was a different affair ; they had 

 encountered an ugly customer, and the battle 

 was long and of varied aspect. 



Sometimes the wolf would break entirely clear 

 from the dogs, leaving several of them floored ; 

 again, however, within a few yards he would 

 be checked, and the battle resumed, so that 

 during a long struggle there was little change 

 of ground. 



The fight was continued in this way, the 

 prospect of victory or of defeat frequently 



