68 



THE CABINET OF NATURAL HISTORY 



and was oflf again. In this way he got considerable rest, 

 and would gain on us, but when he crossed from one moun- 

 tain to another, we always pushed him hard, and would 

 gain on him, as the mountain sides were generally more 

 open, and even then he would occasionally rest, but would 

 alwaj'S choose some point or hillock, where he, being ele- 

 vated, could see us without our seeing him. A Wolf, like 

 a dog, always turns round once or twice before he lies 

 down, but this Jellotv had become so fatigued that he would 

 just drop himself every now and then, and again be off. 

 He next made a bold push in order to reacli another wind- 

 fall and thicket about ten miles ahead, which, it appeared, 

 he was well acquainted with, and which was close to the 

 road that run from the town of 13ainbridge to Deposit. — 

 The sun now was but one hour high, and as he laid his 

 course towards that place, through a clear open wood, on 

 a regular descent, we pressed him hard for about five miles, 

 when we again saw him about four hundred yards from us, 

 he saw us at the same time, and then he attempted to turn 

 back again, so that he might reach the thicket which he 

 had just left. I, however, cut him olf, and he, seeing my 

 manoeuvre, kept his former course — we began to think that 

 he must be our's very soon, for we gained on him so fast, 

 that I concluded it time to give him another ball, but un- 

 fortunately he entered a thicket of beech brush of about 

 two acres, which completely shielded him from my view. 

 On coming up we found he had slipped out on the opposite 

 side, and then made off for the beforenientioned windfall. 

 It was now getting dark, and we made for the public road, 

 which we soon reached, and to our jo_y heard bells, which 

 we at once recognized as coming from a sleigh owned by 

 Capt. Edicks; we fired off our rifles, in order that this gen- 

 tleman might know our direction. He was one of the 

 company who started with us in the morning, but gave out, 

 and knowing the direction the Wolf had taken, went home, 

 procured his sleigh, and came out very seasonably to meet 

 us, as we were then fifteen miles from home. Our dogs 

 were of the best kind, and would follow us while they had 

 life, but we had out run them so much, that we had to wait 

 a long time before they came up to us. It is remarkable, 

 that these dogs would never touch the Wolf, they would 

 join in and run with, but never injure him. We arrived at 

 home about 9 o'clock, and found that W — and myself had 

 been forsaken ijy all of the hunters, about the time when I 

 fired at the Wolf crossing the field; they being so far be- 

 hind us as scarcely to hear the rifle, gave up the idea of 

 overtaking us, and returned home. By this time the report 

 had gone abroad that we were in pursuit of the " three- 

 legged Wolf," and old and young appeared full of anima- 

 tion to join us in the hunt next day. We took great care 

 in preparing our£--lves for the next day's chase, in dress, 



victuals, and drink; we eat but lightly, and drank nothing 

 but a little wine, and bathed our limbs well with brandy, 

 previous to retiring to bed, and thus removed all stiffness 

 and bruises which we had received through the day. 



Before the dawn of the next day, a company had assem- 

 bled to the number of forty persons, fifteen of whom had 

 agreed to enter the chase; the rest took horses and went in 

 all directions, with a view to cut the Wolf off. In this 

 county there were but few public roads, but a great num- 

 ber called log roads, cut through the forest in order to carry 

 logs to the river for rafting; into these roads were stationed 

 many persons on horseback and in sleighs, while the party 

 on chase went immediately to the spot where the Wolf was 

 left the night previous. On arriving here, we found that 

 he had laid down and remained the greater part of the 

 night within four hundred yards of the place where we left 

 him, then it appears he walked off about two miles and fell 

 in with a heard of Wolves, and kept with them about three 

 miles further; then tacked about and steered his course back 

 to within two miles of the village (Deposit) from which we 

 had just set out, and near to the very place where he had 

 killed the seven sheep the night before. It was a remark- 

 able circumstance with this Wolf that he was never known 

 to associate with other Wolves, and when he committed 

 depredations it was always when alone; for Wolves seldom 

 ever attack singly, but most generally in pairs, and it never 

 could be satisfactorily accounted for why this depredator 

 had no companions, unless it was, that it had been by such 

 that he was led into a trap, which had cost him his toes, 

 and nearly his life; hence the reason of his quitting the 

 herd above spoken of. It was now late in the day, and we 

 had gone out fifteen miles, and returned thirteen, before we 

 Jumped him from his bed, and as soon as this was the case, 

 the swiftest hunter took the lead, but it was some time be- 

 fore we got into regular Indian file, and the woods seemed 

 alive with men; but, after running about five miles, the 

 fresh hands began to fall back, and by the time we reached 

 ten miles, I looked behind, and saw only W — , who was 

 within ten steps of me. As this was the first time that we 

 had an opportunity of competing with some neighbouring 

 crack hunters, and these having relinquished the chase, we 

 plainly saw that the destruction of the Wolf depended 

 solely on our own exertions; this circumstance, instead of 

 discouraging, only animated us to persevere. The Wolf 

 next steered his course for the upper part of the county, 

 and we pressed him at a rapid pace; one tried to excel the 

 other, and I could generally take the lead of my companion 

 in the morning, but his exceeding perseverance and good 

 bottom, generally brought him ahead of me before night, 

 and as a passing tribute to his prowess, I must say, that I 

 never saw his equal, as a huntsman; there was no difficulty 



