Two or three times they came so close to the fire that I could hear them snap their jaws and growl, and at one time I positively thought that they intended to try to get into camp, so excited were they by the smell of the fresh meat.

After a while they stopped howling; and then all was silent for an hour or so.

I let the fire go out and was turning into bed when I suddenly heard some animal of considerable size come down to the stream nearly opposite me and begin to splash across, first wading, then swimming.

It was pitch dark and I could not possibly see, but I felt sure it was a wolf.

However after coming half-way over it changed its mind and swam back to the opposite bank; nor did I see or hear anything more of the night marauders.
Five or six times on the plains or on my ranch I have had shots at wolves, always obtained by accident and always, I regret to say, missed.
Often the wolf when seen was running at full speed for cover, or else was so far off that though motionless my shots went wide of it.