f 



Wolves and Wolf Nature 



transport of joy. When the wolf is fright- 

 ened, it tucks its tail between its legs, and 

 forward under its belly, precisely as does a 

 frightened dog. 



A good many years ago a peculiar circum- 

 stance happened to me, which for a long time 

 I was unable to explain to myself on any 

 theory whatever. With a single companion I 

 was traveling south through western Nebras- 

 ka, then absolutely without inhabitants, and 

 camped one night on the bare prairie, forty or 

 fifty miles north of the Union Pacific Rail- 

 road. The night was moonless, but bright 

 starlight, not at all what would be called a 

 dark night. The horses were picketed close 

 to us, and we had gone to bed, and were 

 sleeping some few feet apart. 



About the middle of the night I was awak- 

 ened by feeling something drawn across my 

 chest, and opening my eyes I saw, sitting on 

 its haunches close to my body, a wolf, which, 

 as I looked at it, reached out its paw and 

 again drew it across my chest, much as a dog 

 would scrape his paw over his master's knee 

 if he wished to attract his attention. I was 

 more or less irritated at being aroused, and, 

 gently freeing my feet from the folds of the 



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