282 
AMERICAN GREY WOLF. 
within half a mile of him before he showed a straight tail ; and then hu 
great speed always enabled him to reach cover before the dogs, notwith- 
standing that two or three of them were of high blood and great fleetness, 
could overcome the gap which, at the start, separated them from the 
chase ; and thus the sportsmen, after several killing rides, had always 
found themselves foiled by the watchfulness and the superior speed and 
bottom of this wolf. 
“After a hard and unsuccessful race of this kind, several officers were one 
day returning home, when in passing the farm of a Cherokee Indian, they 
were told by him that a wolf of this description was m the habit ol fre- 
quenting the grounds about his house, almost nightly ; that lie had com- 
mitted numerous depredations, but that such was his cunning that he had 
eluded all efforts to kill or capture him. Being assured that a fresh trail 
might be struck at this point, any morning at daylight, the officers deter- 
mined to try the fellow’s bottom with the fox-hounds. Accordingly, a few 
nights afterwards— the moon having risen about one o’clock— a party was 
in the saddle, as soon as they could see upon the prairie, and on their way 
to the Cherokee’s house, which was about seven miles from the Fort. 
They proceeded leisurely, and reached their destination about three 
o’clock, purposing to let their horses and dogs rest until daylight, before 
entering on the chase : the pack, I should mention, consisting of half a 
dozen fox-hounds, and two or three half-curs, the latter being fleeter and 
more courageous than the former. It so happened, however, that the 
dogs, not being coupled, struck the trail close to the house, just as diey 
arrived ; and away they went with a cry, and at a pace which showed 
that the giant was right before them. For some time the wolf kept 
within the narrow strip of covert which borders the Bayou Menard, and 
thus the horsemen were enabled, by a good moonlight, to keep parallel 
with him on the open plain. But the wolf finding at length that the cover 
afforded him no security from his pursuers, and trusting to the lightness 
of his heels, dashed boldly into the prairie, and made a straight course for 
the hills on the opposite side, at the distance of about three miles. Here 
he again took cover ; but he was not allowed much time for repose, as the 
dogs° were soon upon him, and the covert which here bordered the Neosho, 
being like that of the Bayou, narrow, he was soon forced to leave it and 
the hills, and again take to the plain. In this way the wolf made several 
bold dashes, running from one cover to another in a straight course of 
from one to three miles over the plain ; and it was not until half past 
eight o’clock, A.M., that he was brought to bay. The denouement was 
brought about in this way : the wolf was at last drawing near to cover 
after one of the open dashes I have mentioned— his speed, to be sure, much 
