AND AMERICAN RURAL SPORTS. 



n 



reached the above mountain, where he had opportunities 

 again to rest, as the side on which he ran was so perpendi- 

 cular that we made but slow progress. We found that he 

 would drop himself to rest, every few steps, and just keep- 

 ing so far ahead as to be out of our sight, although we were 

 confident he saw us continually. On arriving at the top of 

 the mountain, we found he had made a start for a thicket, 

 on the same mountain, before we could overtake him, but 

 the course he was going was a gradual descent for about 

 fifteen miles, until it terminated at the foot of another 

 mountain, which was in that range called Pine Hill, on 

 the head waters of the west branch of the Delaware river. 



I started off at full speed down this side of the mountain, 

 making long jumps; I never felt better; and with ease to 

 myself could run a mile in five minutes; my limbs felt in- 

 vigorated, and my speed was superior to any of the former 

 days. I continued so for nearly thirteen miles, and then 

 eame within sight of the Wolf. He was then but two 

 hundred yards in advance of me, and he had yet two miles 

 further to go before he could reach the mountain, and this 

 through open wood; he used every exertion to quicken his 

 pace, but in spite of his efforts, I gained on him. I had run 

 but one mile since I got sight of him, and when I was within 

 forty yards of him, he looked behind at me, and seeing no 

 possible chance of escaping, dropped his tail between his 

 legs, and stopped; I ran within twenty yards, and shot a 

 ball immediately though his body — he fell, and arose 

 again; crack went Capt. W.'s rifle, and down he dropped 

 dead, in a moment my foot was on his neck; but we were 

 at a loss to express our joy — we were in the midst of an 

 extensive forest, and we knew not where; we charged our 

 rifles, and gave four rounds in commemoration of the four 

 days' chase. Our dif&culties were not yet to an end, for 

 we were determined to take him home; we accordingly cut 

 a small stick, and twisted one end, fastened it to his upper 

 jaw, and while one carried the rifles, the other dragged him 

 on the snow. It appeared, on examining the Wolf, that 

 I had struck him on the flank the day previous, when I 

 fired at him, to about the depth of the ball, cutting the flesh, 

 but not so as to retard his progress. We continued drag- 

 ging him, and followed down a small branch, which, we 

 were convinced, would either lead us to the Delaware, or 

 Susquehannah; and, after proceeding about eight miles, 

 came to a farm-house, occupied by a Mr. Sawyer; he soon 

 recognized us, and seeing us dragging a Wolf, asked if we 

 had the "three-legged Wolf?" and when we answered in 

 the affirmative, says he, "I will hold a day of rejoicing, 

 for I have but few sheep left from last winter, as he then 

 killed nine, and eight of them were my best ewes, and, I 

 suppose, he came here for more mutton. — Tell me," con- 

 tinued he, "what I can do for you, and it shall be done." 



We asked him if he would take us in his sleigh towards 

 our home, or until we could find some of our neighbours 

 that would take us the balance of the way. We were then 

 eighty miles from our village of Deposit, in a direct line, 

 and he, without hesitation, agreed to do so. The next day 

 we arrived at Walton; here were assembled, some of our 

 companions who had started with us on the hunt from 

 Deposit, having heard the course the Wolf had taken, had 

 followed us as nigh as they could guess, and this being the 

 last place they could hear of us, they concluded to remain 

 here. The number of persons assembled at Walton, out 

 of curiosity, was about one hundred, to see the result of 

 the chase, as every farmer appeared to be deeply interested 

 in the destruction of this Wolf; and making a calculation, 

 we found that the persons assembled there alone, had sheep 

 destroyed by him nearly to the amount of one thousand 

 dollars. When, therefore, they saw our success, it appeared 

 as though they could not do too much for us; they escorted 

 us home with fifteen sleighs (a distance of thirty miles) and 

 our fame resounded throughout the whole county, with 

 the benediction of " blessed is he that holdeth out to the 

 end." T. M. H. 



PETRIFIED FOREST OF MISSOURI. 



The following letter, directed to Mr. Peale, of the 

 Philadelphia Museum, has been received, with a specimen 

 of the petrified wood, taken from the forest, and a descrip- 

 tion of this interesting change of nature attached to it; both 

 are inserted at length, so that all doubts on the subject may 

 be put to rest. 



Greensburgh, 5th Nov. 1830. 

 Sir, 



About eighteen months since I had received from Lieut. 

 G. H. Crosman, of the U. S. Army, a specimen of the 

 Petrifications in the Forest of Missouri, with the intention 

 of forwarding it by some convenient opportunity, to be 

 deposited in your valuable Museum. Other engagements, 

 however, have hitherto prevented me from carrying this 

 intention into effect, until my attention was this morning 

 called to the subject by an article in the National Journal, 

 of the 30th ult., extracted from the New York Evening 

 Post, referring to an article in the Philadelphia Chronicle. 



It is evident, from the specimen now forwarded, as well 

 as from the information received from Mr. Crosman, that it 

 is a true petrifaction, and not merely an incrustation. The 

 appearance would indicate a calcareous mineralizing matter; 

 this, however, is not the fact, as proved by the ajjplication 

 of sulphuric acid. It is evidently silicious, although I 



