and covered with bushes, and
behind it was a deep pool of water, while two or three considerable
streams course'd 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 never was 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-bullet 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 about 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 made a fearful
howling close at hand, and in the morning the carcass was completely
hollowed out by these voracious fee