How Animals Talk 



traveling a pace that left me hopelessly far behind. 

 When I returned to the deer, to read how the 

 wolves had surprised and killed their game, I no- 

 ticed the fresh trail of a solitary wolf coming in at 

 right angles to the trail of the hunting pack. It 

 was the limper again, who had just eaten what he 

 wanted and trailed off by himself. I followed and 

 soon jumped him, and took after him on the lope, 

 thinking I could run him down or at least come 

 near enough for a revolver-shot; but that was a 

 foolish notion. Even on three legs he whisked 

 through the thick timber so much easier than I 

 could run on show-shoes that I never got a second 

 glimpse of him. 



By that time I was bound to know, if possible, 

 how the limper happened to find this second deer 

 for his comfort ; so I picked up his incoming trail 

 and ran it clear back to his den under the wind- 

 fall, from which he had come as straight as if he 

 knew exactly where he was heading. His trail 

 was from eastward; what little air was stirring 

 came from the south; so that it was impossible 

 for his nose to guide him to the meat even had he 

 been within smelling distance, as he certainly was 

 not. The record in the snow was as plain as any 

 other print, and from it one might reasonably 

 conclude that either the wolves can send forth a 

 silent food-call, with some added information, or 



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