444 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
He says he amused himself in this way for an hour, and 
‘made them tear to pieces every white wolf that had joined 
the chase. This sport delighted him so much, that he 
became careless, and narrowly escaped falling. -He only 
saved himself by dropping. his gun, which they seized, and 
almost tore its stock. to pieces before they discovered it 
was not eatable. I saw the dents of their teeth in the 
barrel afterwards. Darkness was coming on, and they 
seemed not in the least disposed to go; and he felt that 
he must tumble out from the faintness of hunger and 
fatigue, if he was compelled to spend another hour in that 
tree without food. He had become entirely reckless now, 
and loaded up his pistols, determined, if he must fall, to 
bring death with him for some more of them. 
Suddenly he heard a distant yelling on the prairie, like 
that which had sounded so dreadfully behind his flight. 
The wolves sprung to their feet in a body, and with pricked 
ears, listened. He looked out towards the prairie, and could 
faintly discover a large buffalo bull plunging along over the 
plain, surrounded by a great herd of wolves, who were 
tearing him at every jump. He could even hear the low 
bellowing of the creature’s agony. Another victim! and his 
thirsty guardians started to join the chase. One after another 
they went; while those who staid behind would turn their 
heads to look back wistfully at him, and whine and lick 
their dry chaps. When the chase come in sight though, 
off they started in a body with savage yells. He fired his 
pistols after them in farewell, and killed one of the hindmost, 
while another, with a broken shoulder, kept on yelling with 
the pack. 
He knew he would be safe now if he could get a fire 
kindled before they returned, if they did so at all. Before 
they were out of sight, he had reached the ground, and 
with trembling eagerness proceeded to light a fire with the 
help of his flint and steel, which every Ranger carries. He 
