Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1868-08-05
Wolf Hunting i'm France.

An undergraduate of Dublin. beng cal
-, =, oeS.u,Sro.s &Ae most regretable
events in Irish history, commenced his list
with that of the determination OF the last
wolf in l7lO. No brute in Europe Is bet
ter adapted than the wolf Tor being run to
death, and none affords the huntsman
better apology for hunting. \ bear hunt
is most frequently a duel or an assasslna-
ton. The stag, the roe-buck, and even the
wild boar, are inofensive when unmolest-
ed the fox and the badger are too small
to be personally dangerous, but the volt Is
at once foe to be respected for his teeth,
brigand accountable for life of rapine,
and test of strength and mettle for the
tieetest dogs. By the term dogs must
however, be understood the ordinary pack
for the greyhound is ofta" "bie TO attain
the wolf on sish. AND In such ease he IN
yariably mars the sport. In the Aube a
couple or two of greyhounds usually accom-
pany the meute both in boar and wolf
hunting; the consequence Is that most fire.
quently, when the game takes the open
country, the greyhounds follow the wolf on
sight and either seize 1t at once, or so i'm
pede its pace as to enable the pack to ar
- and finish the hunt abruptly, In some
&C. w :snees of an exciting run are
fies, and it too often happ,~ +bat sol;ta.
~ wolf, the sole hope of the mee,, :. sbo,
dead in the cover before the dogs CIV,
tongue, leaving the huntSman to disperst
for lack of game, or to 90 in for foxes
Still, occasionally, in spite Of guns anC
greyhounds, a fair run takes place, and il
such case the sport, for heat and spirit, il
all the most ardent huntsman can desire
the wolf bursts unexectedly from the GOV
er, and straining for some distant point il
possibly another department, bounds strai
ahead through all kinds of country, an,
leads the hounds chase which often end
in their exhaustion and discontinue. Blu
the wolf is far less often the object of
royal hunt than of a popular battle. Hi
destruction is sought by persons who's
sole aim is to destroy him. and the mean
least likely to fail are those adopted 70
the purpose his retreat is surrounded b
the poasonto and villagers of tho LOCALITY
and sometimes by the united populations @
two or three cantons. All sorts of weapon
are called into use; old muskcts, horse
pistols, bayonets, swords, bludgeons, an
above ALL pitchforks. Dogs of every de
: scription join the hunt, from the huge farI
: watchdog to the common village cur. :
circle is then formed round the thicket, an
t when the nature of the ground and tn
c number of persons permit, the ring tight
: ems gradually till the assistant are able
Y Join hands a second circle is then torme
e outside, composed of strong nets suspende
0 across the runs and issues, and in order
y scare the wolf from attempting to pa
f elsewhere, the men hang up their caI
and blouses in the intervening spaces. U
n to this moment everything is accompllshe
t with the greatest precaution and the lea
e noise possible, but no sooner are the
y rangements complete than the dogs are l.
loose, and the men begin shouting and ha
= looing and threshing the foliage with loI
1t sticks. Presently the dogs grow furlou
is Their instructive aversion for the wolf b
lie comes redoubled by the consciousness
of his presence, and when excited from til
to time with heavy scent, they howl a
st gnash with a sort of frenzy This excli
IS ment of the dogs soon gains the men, WI
l. from mere noise and clamor, proce
u gradually to yells and imprecations. Tn
ne then. set to, regularly abusing the wolf
is terms, and the less disposed he shows hi
ds self to quit the cover. the more vehemt
te are the invectives heaped upon him. l
b. prevailing atmosphere is, ''Bouge