Year: 1878




He follows the buffalo, and is ever skirmish-
ing ON the edge of the herd. Indefatigable
in the chase, be pursues his prey for days
without sleep. He catches his maps in the
sunlight, and does the bulk of his work at
night. Like the Indian, whom he resembles
in many characteristics, he never declines an
invitation to dinner. A great glutton, he
stuf1s himself until his paunch is distended
like bladder, and in this condition is often
run down and lassoed by the cowboys on or
dinary ponies. Some of the Southern tribes
of Indians never slay wolf They have a
superstition that when they die their spirits
roam the prairies in the guise of wolves.
"Who Stays a wolf may slay his brother" is
an Indian proverb.


Cruel and voracious, the gray wolf is an
arrant coward. While on the Brazos in 1873,
encamped above what is called "The Round
Timbers," Graham killed FIVE buffalo for
bait. He charged three with strychnne, and
in the morning found FIVE dead wolves. Three
great eagles we're perched upon the head and
shoulders of an imprisoned carcass, and two
large gray wolves were tearing the hams.
The eagles regarded the wolves with an evil
eye. At intervals the most powerful bird
strode over the carcass with outstretched
wings and open beak. In an instant the
wolves cringed to the ground, and skunk
away with their heads over their shoulders
like whipped ours. With the hair of their
necks on end they furtively watched the lord
ly bird until he returned to his comrades.
Then, with averted eyes, they sneaked back
to the feast, and crunched and gnawed until
their rapacity again excited the ire of the
feathered nobleman at the head of the table


A striking popularity of the wolf il his
habit of running with bis head over his shoul-
ders. Suddenly frightened, he rushes off like
the wind, with bis face turned back to the
foe and his tail between his legs. "He ran
like scared wolf" is Texans estimate Of
the speed of coward. No dog but thor
oughbred greyhound can overtake him. 1t
seems almost impossible for wolf to look
anything in the face. He will hardly meet
the stare of grasshopper. Graham declares
that when wolves have been paralyzed by
strychnine he has held them by the ears,
turned their faces around, and tried to force
them to look into his eyes. Not for second
was he successful. They would look over his
shoulders or turn their eyes in any direction,
and even entirely close them, before they
would meet his gaze. A story is told of a
Texas farmer who caught coyote cub, and
stared into its eyes until the cub died.


The report of a gun, in old times, never
failed to put every wolf within hearing on
1tr5-uii -uiiort-He Immediately began to look
for dead bufrarU; and geneFa11y mauageu 10
secure his share Of the booty. In the spring,
when the calves ran with the herds, and the
droves were resting at noon, the big gray
wolves organized for an attack. Woe betided
the calf on the outskirts of the drove. The
ferocious beasts would cut it out in rush,
after stampeding the herd. If the calf was
nearly full grown they would hamstring it
with their teeth, but if young and tender,
would tear out the throat before the dam
could come to its Defence Frequently lone
wolf routed out on an old BULL driven from
the herd by the younger and more active
bulls. He caught him by the nose, and hung
on until shaken of. The attack was kept up
until the bull started on run. The wolf
kept in the rear until the old patriarch
showed signs of fatigue. when he resumed the
attack in 'front.' The buffalo was not allow
ed to fag. If he fell into walk he was
again seized by the nose. When nearly ex.
hausted the howls of the wolf drew other
wolves from their lairs, and between them the
old veteran was hamstrung and rendered
helpless, and finally torn in pieces by the
pack.