Year: 1860

of dark night and carry off any piece of
leather, old cloth, raw hide, or even an
old hat and Pierre was not little amused
when they succeeded in pulling down and
dragging away Days best specimen, .
a noble elk's head, with immense horns,
which he had fondly hoped to carry in
triumph to Rochester as proof of his hunt
ing prowess. We recovered the horns,
but they were SO manglsd as to be worth
less, and the had was eaten up, bones and
all.


Some four weeks after their appearance
in the nighborhood Of our camp, they dis
appeared as suddenly as they came, and
for the rest ofthe season there was hardly
a fresh wolf track to be found.


y very different animal is the large
black wolf Of the Canadian forest; much
larger and stronger, besides being bet
Ter formed animal, and withaI 10 coward.
You cannot get rid of him by putting a
bold face on the matter and pretending to
despise him. ] have never seen above
three Of them together, and they are not
numerous, which is a fact in natural histo
ry that | should Ike to see explained, as
being the more game and pow erful ami
NAL Of the two, and breeding as fast as
the gray wolf, the natural inference wo'd
be that he might serve the latter much as
the large gray rat serves has congener, the
black Norwegian, wherever they come in
contact.


Once only have met with so many as
three black wolves in company, and they
succeeded in giving me a very respectful
notion of their game qualities and boldness
It was on the "Old Trail between the
Upper Muskoka and PoIcupine Lake, and
on the banks of tributary to the Black
River, that | stopped on an afternoon in
early May for rest and a smoke, and
thereby Glanced on something yerv like
an adventure with the brute in question.


had crossed the stream on : large ma
PIE trunk that served as q foot bridge, laid
of the heavy pack, and WAS husily en-
gagel starting a fre-moTe for the pleas
ant look Of the coy blaze than for warmth
when the young Indian dogs, ont Of
which was trying to frame 2 stilI-hunt
team, set up q most furious barking and
ran into my heels with unmistakeable
signs of terror, keeping their eyes fixed
steadily on the opposite bank where we
had crossed q few inmates before Know
mo the pups were afraid of bear, | thought
it likely one might be coming along the
trail, and had Just seized the rifle on the
chance Of possible SHOT, when three
large black wolves came down the bank
with a steady lope, and merely pausing a
moment for curSory survey Of tie chan
ces, the foremost unhesitafingly jumped
on tie trunk and made for my side Of the
stream


To the real bacllwoodsman, the hunter
whose lie is mainly passed in the forest,
and whose existence NAV, at any time,
hang on the ready use of his rifle, it be
comes second nature to SEQ, think, and act
simultaneously whence It happened that
I mounted one end Of the trunk IS he
Jumped on the other, and we met on the
narrow body of the tree face to face. lie
was fine-Iooking animal. as fearless as q
bull dog, and much larger than any wolf |
had ever seen. lie stared me bravely in
the face, rs though more than half inclin-
ed to go in on sight. | saw at a glance
that it WAS not me they were after, but the
two pups, who were grovelIing at my heel 5
in an ahjact fear, and as the black rascals
ranged themselves along the trunk, one
behind another, as though waiting for me
to step out of the wav, | was for moment
undecided how to act then the sharp
crack of the rifle rang out shrilly through
the deep woods. and the foremost wilted
off the trunk into the water Still no
signs of finching from the two compan-
ions and it was not until | advanced and
struck at the nearest with the clubbed ri,
fle, that they slowly made of, turning
around for last, longing look at the ter,
rified pups, before entering tamarack
thicket that hid them from view. Had ]
been in possession of that best Of modern
inventions-a reyolver--I could have kill
ed all three Of them in their tracks with
the utmost ease. Many years after this
adventure, and when | was in possession
of revolver as we'll as good double
barreled rifle, I iran onto couple OF
black wolves who were devouring a fresh
killed deer within a dozen feet of the
Matchadash trail.' 1t was almost sun
down, and was hurrying along the trail,
nearly at a running pace, thinking more
of reaching the camp ere darkness over
took me than Of wolves, when a hoarse,
surly growl, short and savage, brought
me up all standing. They were in plain
sight from the trail, the free passage OF
which they instantly offered to dispute by
marching into it, little in front of me,
with stif'ened tails and ears fiercey
prickinr forward, much after the manner
of surly mastiff disturbed at his food
In an instant, one of them Welt down
with ball through his tawny head, when,
to my utter surpise, his fellow leaped over
the fallen wolf, and charged most gamey.
1t was the first direct. honest charge had
I ever seen a wolf make at a man, and the
startling suddennsss of the thing so com"
I pletely knocked me off my quad, that 1t
must have been good fortune rather than
skill which made the snap shot | sent at
! him effectual. Thus much for the wolf
an animal that does not properly rank as
game, but which has, nevertheless, interes-
ted me more, in a rather long hunting ca
reer, than any animal whatever.