162 WOLVES. 



seized him round the waist, and commenced giving him one 

 of those dreadful embraces which generally end in death. 

 The poor fellow was now in great agony, and gave way to 

 the most pitiful screams. Observing Baptiste with his gun 

 ready, anxiously watching a safe opportunity to fire, he cried 

 out, " Tire ! tire ! mon cher frere, si tu m'aimes ! A la tete ! 

 a la tete ! " This was enough for Le Blanc, who instantly 

 let fire, and hit the bear over the right temple. He fell; and 

 at the same moment dropped Louisson. He gave him an 

 ugly claw along the face, however, which for some time after- 

 wards spoiled his beauty. After he had fired, Le Blanc 

 darted to his companion's side, and with his couteau de chasse 

 quickly finished the sufferings of the man-stealer, and rescued 

 his friend from impending death. On skinning the bear, 

 scarcely any meat was found on his bones, showing that it 

 was in a fit of hungry desperation that he had thus made one 

 of the boldest attempts at kidnapping ever heard of in the 

 legends of ursine courage. 



WOLVES. 



There are several species of wolves in North America : one, 

 a large, black animal, which inhabits the forests ; and another, 

 much smaller, which hunts the bison and deer in vast packs 

 across the prairie, and is called the prairie-wolf. Like the 

 wolf of Europe, the black wolf is a fierce, dangerous creature, 

 and equally cowardly. When driven into the corner of a 

 hut, as has sometimes occurred, or when caught in a trap, 

 he will not attempt to defend himself against any person who 

 may enter to destroy him. Audubon mentions an instance 

 of this. A farmer with whom he was staying having lost a 

 number of his animals by wolves, dug several pitfalls in the 



