MIDDLE STATES. 



in the Peiuvian and Catskill mountains, in New York, and in the Alleghanies of Pennsylvania. 

 The panther is also more common in this wild and rugged region. The opossum is first met 

 with in these States, not being found further north ; but its southern range is very extensive. 

 The birds are the same with those of the northeastern States, but they sometimes appear here 

 under a different dress, and often under a difierent name ; thus the bobolink of New England is 

 here known as the reed-bird, and the ruffed grouse, which in the former section is called a partridge. 



it was now the third day, and two only had sufEcient per- 

 severance to continue the pursuit. 



" By the time it was fairly light, we were at the spot 

 where we had left the wolf the night previous ; and we 

 had not proceeded more than three hundred yards up the 

 hill, before we found his bed. This he had left of his own 

 accord, and walked to tlie top of the hill, which was about 

 a mile and a half to the summit, and then took to another 

 road, which led direct to Walton, and continued until he 

 came close to Judge Pine's farm, a distance of fifteen 

 miles, where he had a few weeks previous killed so many 

 sheep, and there, at the foot of another hill, he had reposed 

 for the remainder of the night. We soon aroused him, 

 and he took directly up this hill, which was e.xceedingly 

 steep, but up which we clambered, with slow progress, 

 until we gained the top. We had walked fifteen miles, 

 and as I was first on the summit of the hill, I looked down, 



and saw W about thirty yards from me. The wolf 



kept his course on tlie brow of that hill for three miles, 

 and then left it, and crossed the road which leads from 

 Walton to Franklin, on the Susquehanna; here I stopped 



and waited for my companion. W was immediately 



by my side. The wood before us was open for si.x miles, 

 and gradually ascending, but not so much as to prevent 

 our taking rapid strides; as I neared the top, I slacked for 



W to come up. ' Now,' says W , ' if the wolf 



keeps this course, we will have a regular descent for nine 

 miles.' 



" 1 then started at full speed, guarding alwaj's against 

 jumping into holes, in which case, probably, my legs 

 would have been broken, until I came within two miles of 

 the foot of the hill, when I saw the rascal about three hun- 

 dred yards ahead, and he saw me at the same time. We 

 now had it as hard as we could lay to, and I saw that I 

 gained on him but slowly, and being within one hundred 

 and seventy-five yards of me, 1 fired just as he was quar- 

 tering on me, but he kept his course, and rose a high 

 mountain before us. I reloaded and proceeded, and found 

 that he had dropped in the snow so often, as to evince the 

 greatest fatigue, and nothing but his very life stimulated 

 Iiim on. On this mountain were many windfalls, and 

 other difficult places, almost impassable for man ; and had 

 we been in pursuit of any other animal beside the 'three- 

 legged wolf,' the number of difficulties at this time would 

 have disheartened us ; but we were intent on victory, and 

 our infatuation blinded us to difficulties, and made us cal- 

 lous to suffering. Our antagonist kept his course on this 

 hill for seven miles, but it being covered wilh underbrush 

 we could not gain on him ; the sun was gliding behind the 

 distant hills, and the wolf having so much the start of us, 

 we concluded to look out for quarters for the night; we 

 accordingly ascended a high point on the mountain, and 

 in a valley two miles distant v/e saw a house, whither we 

 proceeded, and were immediately recognised by a young 

 man, an inmate of the dwelling; he inquired of us ' what 

 brought us there in our hunting-dress and wilh our rifles.' 

 We told him we were after the three-legged wolf. ' Ah,' 

 said he, ' I know him well. I hope you will not leave him 

 here, for only three weeks since he killed eleven sheep in 

 one night for us, and last winter he killed eighteen others 

 for us; has he not lost a part of his left fore foot? ' We 

 told him we were satisfied he knew him, as that was his 

 description, and that we should never give him up until 

 we had destroyed him, unless a snow should fall so as to 

 obliterate his track. This was fifty-two miles from our 

 homes in a direct line, and I have no doubt we ran that 

 day sixty miles, as we were then near Delhi, in the upper 

 part of tlie county. 



" We were treated with great hospitality by this family, 

 ■whose name was Wilson, and every thing was done to 



make us and our dogs comfortable that could be devised. 

 After drinking some tea, and eating but little, we found 

 that sleep was more desirable than any thing else, and we 

 retired to rest. Our dogs did not reach the house for some 

 time after our arrival, and then they were in a wretched 

 condition ; but the family exercised great humanity to- 

 wards them, especially the children, who had taken them 

 into the parlor, and were rubbing them with dry napkins. 

 When we arose, we found a repast prepared for us, with 

 some doughnuts to eat through the day. This, generally, 

 was our daily food, and for drink we would catch up a 

 handful of snow, not allowing ourselves sufficient lime to 

 quench our thirst at a brook. 



"Before light we started and tracked our way up the 

 mountain, and I candidly say, I never felt better than at 

 that time ; my spirits were buoyant, and I trod wilh lighter 

 footstep than any day previous; this was the fourth day 



of our hunt. 1 asked Capt. W' how he felt ; said he, 



' I feel well ; victory to-day ; to-day the wolf must die.' 

 But we felt keenly for our poor dogs ; for, although they 

 had been so well nursed, yet they could not move a step 

 scarcely, without crying; and thus they continued yelp- 

 ing until they had followed us some miles. We would 

 have left them at the farm- house, but they howled so ter- 

 ribly, we were obliged to let them follow us. 



"About light, we got on tJie wolf track again; and, 

 within three liundred yards, found he had lain down, but 

 had risen again in the night, voluntaril}', and walked not 

 more than ten yards before he made another bed in the 

 snow. It was evident his time was drawing to its close, 

 for in the last bed he laid until we surprised him in the 

 morning. His former plan was, after we had ceased chas- 

 ing him, to run a few hundred yards, then he down for 

 about half the night, and rise again and travel off fifteen 

 or twenty miles, into the neighborhood of his depredations, 

 and there rest, preparatory to the next night's havoc 

 among the sheep; but now it was pretty certain, that we 

 had tired him too much to waste any time after sheep, and 

 that he did not possess power to travel much further. 



" When we aroused him this time, he led right off from 

 home; but we cared not whither he went, so long as he 

 left a track for us to follow him ; but this mountain was 

 covered Vv'ith underbrush, and he appeared to be well ac- 

 quainted with every inch of ground he ran over, therefore 

 we could not push him to the e.vtent we desired ; this he 

 was well aware of, and he would choo.se the most dense 

 and difficult pari of the wood; but he omitted it now, 

 making his usual circuits about the windfalls, as he had 

 no time to spare, and could continue his course direct. 

 We followed him with renewed speed for about seven 

 miles, when he left the mountain, and directed liis course 

 across a valley, six miles, to another mountain. Through 

 this valley was clear open wood, and we pressed him so 

 hard, that he began to lengthen his jumps, and made no 

 more beds in the snow until he reached the above moun- 

 tain, where he had opportunities again to rest, as the side 

 on which he ran was so perpendicular that we made but 

 slow progress. We found that he would drop himself to 

 rest every few steps, and just keeping so far ahead as to 

 keep 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 vvas 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. 



" 1 started off at full speed down this side of the moun- 

 tain, making long jumps. I never felt better, and with 

 ease to myself, I could run a mile in five minutes ; my 



