go and get one of his feathers; I
knocked off plenty of them when I shot him."

Just opposite our camp was another island covered with bushes, and
behind it was a deep pool of water, while two or three considerable
streams coursed over the sand not far off. I was bathing at this place
in the afternoon when a white wolf, larger than the largest Newfoundland
dog, ran out from behind the point of the island, and galloped leisurely
over the sand not half a stone's throw distant. I could plainly see his
red eyes and the bristles about his snout; he was an ugly scoundrel,
with a bushy tail, large head, and a most repulsive countenance. Having
neither rifle to shoot nor stone to pelt him with, I was looking eagerly
after some missile for his benefit, when the report of a gun came from
the camp, and the ball threw up the sand just beyond him; at this he
gave a slight jump, and stretched away so swiftly that he soon dwindled
into a mere speck on the distant sand-beds.

The number of carcasses that by this time were lying about the prairie
all around us summoned the wolves from every quarter; the spot where
Shaw and Henry had hunted together soon became their favorite resort,
for here about a dozen dead buffalo were fermenting under the hot sun. I
used often to go over the river and watch them at their meal; by lying
under the bank it was easy to get a full view of them. Three different
kinds were present; there were the white wolves and the gray wolves,
both extremely large, and besides these the small prairie wolves, not
much bigger than spaniels. They would howl and fight in a crowd around a
single carcass, yet they were so watchful, and their senses so acute,
that I was never able to crawl within a fair shooting distance; whenever
I attempted it, they would all scatter at once and glide silently away
through the tall grass.

The air above this spot was always full of buzzards or black vultures;
whenever the wolves left a carcass they would descend upon it, and cover
it so densely that a rifle-shot at random among the gormandizing crowd
would generally strike down two or three of them. These birds would now
be sailing by scores just above our camp, their broad black wings
seeming half transparent as they expanded them against the bright sky.
The wolves and the buzzards thickened about us with every hour, and two
or three eagles also came into the feast. I killed a bull within
rifle-shot of the camp; that night the wolves ma