Page:History of Delaware County (1856).djvu/194

 170 HISTORY OF as I neared the top, I waited for W to come up. Now/' says W, if the wolf keeps this course, we will have a regular descent of nine miles/' I then started at full speed, guarding always against jump- ing into holes, in which case, probably, my legs would have been broken, until I came within two miles of the foot of the hill, when I saw the rascal about three hundred yards ahead, and he saw me at the same time. We now had it as hard as we could lay to, and I saw that I gained on him but slowly, and being within one hundred and seventy-five yards of me, I fired just as he was quartering on me, but he kept his course, and rose a high mountain before us. I reloaded and proceeded, and found that he had dropped in the snow so often as to evince the greatest fatigue, and nothing but his very life stimu- lated him on. On this mountain were many wind-falls, and other difficult places, almost impassable for man ; and had we been in pursuit of any other animal beside the three-legged wolf," the number of difficulties at this time, would have dis- heartened us ; but we were intent on victory, and our infatu- ation blinded our difficulties, and made us callous to suffering. Our antagonist kept his course on this hill for seven miles, but it being covered with underbrush we could not gain on him ; the sun was gliding behind the western hills, and the wolf having so much start of us, we concluded to look out for quarters for the night; we accordingly ascended a high point on the mountain, and in a valley, two miles distant, we saw a house, whither we proceeded, and were immediately recognized by a young man, an inmate of the dwelling : he inquired of us, what brought us there in our hunting-dress, and with our rifles ? We told him we were after the three-legged wolf." " Ah !" says he, I know him well. I hope you will not leave him here, for only three weeks since, he killed eleven sheep in one night for us, and last winter he killed eighteen others for us : has he not lost a part of his fore-foot ?" tVe told him we