The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1900-06-20
JOHNS LONE COYOTE.
nY ERNEST M'GAFFEY.


saw De took for dog but a little
closer inspection convinced him that
It was a wolf il was about as big
as a scrci dog and gray Ia color, with darker
streaks on it's back. It's cars were raised,
and its .usay tail traied down behind like
fox's. LIS shary nose ana vary look also
bad som, thing f,sy to John notion, and
It slipped away Tough the grass as easily
and ,..:,.y ls heyuaid himself could have
done. 1t was just at the edge of the road,
and John had no weapon with him. The
beast was not more than so yards away and
he boy could have shot him with rifle.
Indeed, a shotgun loaded with buckshot
would have been effective when the wolf
FIRST put in an appearance
After that first time John had a good
many experiences with the coyotes. They
were the widest animals he had ever known.
His uncle offered him five dola,s for dead
coyote and he wasted many hours and days
in the effort to get one. He talked with Fer
ris Satter.ec about it, and the two boys laid
nl sorts Of schemes to circumvent the
wolves There were plenty of them in the
country. Riding about the prairies in the
daytime YOU would see one Of them every
once in awhile. They seemed to know when
anyone was stirring, and usually kept well
out of runshot even Of a rife They had
dens in the river bottom, and holes in the
knobs on the prairie, but for the most part
they were wanderers, drifting about the
country and earning a precarious living on
rabbits, wild fowl, prairie chickens, beld
mice, ground squirrels, gophers and almost
anything eatable.
At night they made the prairie hideous
with their concerts, especially on the moon
Night nights They would congregate on
some big knoll, three or four OF Them and
howl for hours at a time. it got TO he very
monotonous after awhile. To the northwest
Of the farm toward the river was a iaVorte
spot OF theirs, and there they would gather
and serenade the scattered nelghDors' lbelr
closing salute would be long howl, mourn
Jul and high-pltched, and the prelude was
series of short, choppy banks. lhey seemed
20 be pleased with the sound Of their own
voices for they would keep up TINS howhng
and barking with perseverance worthy OF
better cause. Sometimes they would get
tangled up in medley OF bowls and barks,
and the result was worse than a dozen cats
on back fence These concerts interested
the boy very much. and he used to he out
on haystaok near the barn on nights when
the moon was up to listen to the pralne
music. The praiues on such nights would
seem like a vast sea with the nlght WINDS
sweeping across, and the stars and moon
were million miles away On the distant
knoll the coyotes would assemble, perfectly
secure from interruption, and select some
thing from their repertolres. Then the head
coyote would stick up hls nose ana let OUT
| Joblotof barks that iloated over the grasses IA
snapPy staecato' "heh TINS was nIi's 81, ne
would follow 1t up with long, sh11li ana
mournful howl linen another ana another
would contribute TO the enpertain IN, IN
u the whole pralne seemed TO oe ilAeu VIII
the yowhngs and barKings oil the oaha'
John could not see them from where ne
hay, but he knew there was Just enough oog
in them to elevate their noses Wheh lhey
howled Indeed, the canine quantities were
marked IN the coyote, Tor they would play
with the dogs sometimes, and " was said
they would 90 TINS gehtiy until ,hey nao
iured a dog away from salety, wnell Uney
wouu turn on MN anu year nun W PIECES
one OF the helghoors hAu d tame ooyo.e'
Whlch was d pe'' ana "oulu ,olne ~ wy
mouse ana De as sociaoie DIS 10Y ~ 'nose
knew III was only aDout d .iiliu sro"n,
and tame as IL was, hau d turt,Ve poA, do a.;
mueh as 10 say IN VOL al ilshl' Tn.
Is Just Paying uog. Dut IL was true siaS
the wlId wolves OF the PRAIRIE realLy IoTh an
interest IN the more peacedole uoes pe'ohs.
ing to the farmers ana occasionally nhaue
advances IN the line Oh prospectNe dI.
quautance much as ne" poy WIN seeN
70 extend ms hst Oh irie1us "heii ne coiiieS
to strange neighoorhood'
Then the boys tried traps Ferns had a
lot oil steer traps ana tnese were sca'lereu
over the bottom win oaltS Oh various hil u,
TO attract the woiVes lhey covered 'he
thain attached 70 the Trap WIN ear'll' dnu
at the end OF the chalr they hau d n 1
drag made OF snort log OF wool ihey
used gloves IN handling the traps aiu III
setting and baltlne the traps put .hey
uidn get any coyotes Along the olllloer
edge they caught couple OF raccoohs' aho
that was all Sometimes the traps were
sprung and the pant gone out ri, never Sc
much as hair from howler' lhey gave
considerable credence to the stories uha'
said the coyotes took stick in their mouths
and sprung the traps, afterward eating the
bait at their leisure. Many and many
time they went along the line OF traps ondy
to find bait gone, trap upset, ground dis
Iurbed and not so much as note OF regret
rom the proving dlsturbers' II was very