70 
THE CABINET OF NATURAL HISTORY 
two miles of the foot of the hill, when I saw the rascal 
about three hundred 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 with- 
in one hundred and seventy-five yards of him, I fired just 
as he was quartering on me, but he kept his course, and 
rose a high mountain immediately before us. I re-loaded, 
and proceeded on, and found that he had dropped in the 
snow so often, as to evince the greatest fatigue, and nothing 
but his very life stimulated him on. On this mountain 
were many windfalls, and other difficult places, almost im- 
passable for man, and had we been in chase of any other 
animal but the “ three-legged Wolf,” the number of diffi- 
culties at this time would have disheartened us, but] we 
were intent on victory, and our infatuation blinded us to 
difficulties, and made us callous to suffering. Brewer did 
not hear my rifle, but it appears that he persevered until he 
came to the spot just described, when he gave up and went 
home, and told the neighbours that he was certain that 
W — and myself would kill the Wolf before, as we had 
nearly killed him behind us. Our antagonist kept his 
course on this hill for seven miles, but it being covered 
Avith underbrush, we could not gain on him: the sun was 
gliding behind the distant hills, and the Wolf having so 
much start of us, we concluded to look out for quarters to 
spend the night; we accordingly ascended a high point on 
the mountain, and in a valley two miles distant we saw a 
house, whither we proceeded, and were immediately recog- 
nised by a young man, an inmate of the dwelling; he in- 
quired of us 11 what brought us there in our hunting dress, 
and with rifles.” We told him we were after the “ three- 
legged Wolf.” “Ah,” says 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 win- 
ter he killed eighteen others; has he not lost part of his left 
fore foot?” We told him we were satisfied that he knew 
him, as that was his description, and that we would never 
give him up until we 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 
run that day sixty miles, as we were then near Delhi, in 
the upper part of the 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 towards them, 
especially the children, who had taken them into the par- 
lour, and were rubbing them with dry napkins. We had 
requested the family to prepare us breakfast, and call us be- 
fore daylight, and so anxious were they to afford us every 
facility, that the children took turns in sitting up all night, 
for fear we might oversleep ourselves. When we arose, we 
found a repast prepared for us, with some doe-nuts to eat 
through the day. This, generally, was our daily food, 
and for drink we would catch up a handful of snow, as we 
ran, not allowing ourselves sufficient time to slake our 
thirst at a brook. 
Before light we started, and tracked our way up the 
mountain, and I can candidly say, I never felt better than 
at that time; my spirits were buoyant, and I trod with 
lighter footstep than any day previous: this was the fourth 
day of our hunt. I asked Capt. W — how he felt; says 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 yelping 
until they had followed us some miles. We would have 
left them at the farm-house, but they howled so terribly, 
we were obliged to let them follow us. About light, we 
got on the Wolf’s track again, and within three hundred 
yards found he had lied down, but had risen again in the 
night, voluntarily, 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 
till we surprised him in the morning. His former plan 
was, after we had ceased chasing him, to run a few hun- 
dred yards, then lie down for about half of the night, 
and rise again, and travel off fifteen or twenty miles into 
the neighbourhood of his depredations, and then rest pre- 
paratory to the next nights havoc amongst 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 that he left a 
track for us to follow him; but this mountain was covered 
with underbrush, and he appeared to be well acquainted 
with every inch of ground he ran over, therefore we could 
not push him to the extent we desired, this he was well 
aware of, and he would choose the most dense and difficult 
part of the wood, but he omitted now, making his usual 
circuits about the windfalls, as he had no time to spare, and 
would continue his course direct. We followed him with 
renewed speed for about seven miles, when he left the 
mountain, and directed his 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 
