THE MISSOURI RIVER JOURNALS 49 1 



when the common Wolves are extremely hard pressed for 

 food, they will eat certain roots which they dig up for the 

 purpose, and the places from which they take this food 

 look as if they had been spaded. When they hunt a Buf- 

 falo, and have killed it, they drag it to some distance — ■ 

 about sixty yards or so — and dig a hole large enough to 

 receive and conceal it; they then cover it with earth, and 

 lie down over it until hungry again, when they uncover, 

 and feed upon it. Along the banks of the rivers, when the 

 Buffaloes fall, or cannot ascend, and then die, the Wolves 

 are seen in considerable numbers feeding upon them. 

 Although cunning beyond belief in hiding at the report 

 of a gun, they almost instantly show themselves from dif- 

 ferent parts around, and if you wish to kill some, you have 

 only to hide yourself, and you will see them coming to the 

 game you have left, when you are not distant more than 

 thirty or forty yards. It is said that though they very fre- 

 quently hunt their game until the latter take to the river, 

 they seldom, if ever, follow after it. The wind that drove 

 us ashore augmented into a severe gale, and by its present 

 appearance looks as if it would last the whole night. Our 

 fire was comfortable, for, as you know, the thermometer 

 has been very changeable since noon. We have had rain 

 also, though not continuous, but quite enough to wet our 

 men, who, notwithstanding have cut and piled about twelve 

 cords of wood, besides the large quantity we have on 

 board for to-morrow, when we hope the weather will be 

 good and calm. 



May 15, Monday. The wind continued an irregular 

 gale the whole of the night, and the frequent logs that 

 struck our weather side kept me awake until nearly day- 

 break, when I slept about two hours; it unfortunately 

 happened that we were made fast upon the weather shore. 

 This morning the gale kept up, and as we had nothing 

 better to do, it was proposed that we should walk across 

 the bottom lands, and attempt to go to the prairies, distant 



