The Wolf King

THE WOLF KING by Joseph Wharton Lippincott

A dramatic and thrilling biography of the giant black wolf who had become a legend in his region of the Alberta wilderness. Settlers dreaded the long howl of the great wolf leader and the ringing chorus of the fierce pack in the northern night. Hunters and wardens alike were continually baffled and outwitted by the Wolf King’s wild deeds and uncanny intelligence. The smartest whelp of a litter of six, the black wolf learns fast and becomes a fighter and a leader. To read his story in the author’s stirring narrative is almost to be — as the author was — on the rugged Alberta frontier, and to witness the Wolf King’s battle for mastery over his kind in a mountain country where he can meet his human enemies on equal terms. This is unquestionably one of the classics of American wild life. It has held its place in the affection of readers for many years. Readers of this author’s book, Wilderness Champion, will rejoice in this companion story about the same great wolf that befriended Reddy the Champion Hound.

Books by Joseph Wharton Lippincott

Chisel-Tooth the Beaver Black Wings: the Unbeatable Crow Wilderness Champion The Wolf King The Wahoo Bobcat The Red Roan Pony Bun, A Wild Rabbit Little Red the Fox Striped Coat, the Skunk Gray Squirrel The Phantom Deer Persimmon Jim, the Possum Long Horn Leader of the Deer Old Bill, the Whooping Crane Coyote, the Wonder Wolf

SUDDENLY A HORDE OF WOLVES CAME INTO VIEW

THE

WOLF KING BY

Joseph Wharton Lippincott ILLUSTRATED BY

Paul Bransom

COPYRIGHT 1949, 1933 PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Library of Congress catalog card number 49-7911 ISBN —0—397—30156—1

J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY PHILADELPHIA AND NEW YORK

To my daughter,

BETSY

Foreword BIG TIMBER WOLVES WERE A COMMON SIGHT TO EXPLORERS AND EARLY settlers in North America. At first they were found almost everywhere; then gradually guns, traps and poison lessened their numbers until there were none left in the United States from Main to Florida and west as far as the bad lands and desert areas. There, however, they made a last, wonderful stand, and by that time so few of them were left that they became as well known locally as some of the old sea pirates in history. They were even given names by the ranchers. Any man lucky enough to trap or shoot one of these famous outlaws secured a bounty and became a hero overnight, for there was not a big wolf that could exist without feeding on the ranchers’ cattle and sheep which had taken the place of once plentiful natural prey such as buffalo and antelope. North America’s smaller species of wolf, the coyote, somehow managed to survive here and there, and even to thrive in the wilder sections of the West. Once found mainly in the foothills, the plains and the semi-desert areas, he gradually extended his range northwestward into the big mountain chains. He never had mixed with the timber wolves, but often had followed them and stolen remnants of their kills. Years ago, the wolves were not afraid to make all the noise they wanted to at night. The timber wolf had several kinds of excellent howls, but the coyote, in the matter of variety, could outhowl him any time, and make a timid camper’s hair fairly tingle. The great wolf choruses, however, are almost a thing of the past. In the days gone by, a pack of the big fellows might suddenly feel the urge to howl; they would draw close together and all start a wild clamor which the echoes increased until the air fairly throbbed. Coyotes sometimes joined in from a safe distance.

Now it is very different; only in a few wilderness sections of Mexico, Canada and Alaska, and very occasionally in some mountain fastness of New Mexico or one of the other western States, are big wolves heard today. And these old fellows that remain know a thing or two! Some are black, some dark or light gray, others brown. All are powerful. Many in the North weigh over a hundred and fifty pounds, which means that they are about the size of great Danes. On the buffalo plains long ago, the Indians sometimes caught wolves in cleverly hidden pits dug in the paths they travelled; but as a rule the Indian had respect and no particularly unfriendly feeling for his “gray brother.” The terrible tales about the ferocity of wolves which gave rise to the Little Red Riding Hood story had their origin in Northern Europe, particularly in old Russia where starvation in severe winters sometimes drove ravenous packs to the edge of villages. What cattle there were being then securely housed, the wolves attacked the horses that drew the sleighs. In the chases that resulted they threatened even the drivers, who seldom had better weapons than whips and axes. The Eskimos had “dogs” that seemed to be little more than partly tamed timber wolves. These they somehow trained to draw their heavy sleds over the snow and to help them in hunting. Just where they secured the first stock is not known, but they did raise and tame wild wolf pups, and their sled dogs would mate with wild wolves. Today these animals are represented by the Eskimo dog, or husky, which is a handsome but still somewhat wolfish animal although it has been much interbred with dogs brought by the white man. In the same way certain Indian tribes living on the plains where there were many coyotes and no heavy sled work, developed a breed of smaller dogs that looked very much like the wild coyote. It is probable that the ancestors of all breeds of dogs were wolves and jackals in various parts of the world, although it took many generations to make such odd types as the bulldog and the Pekinese. The timber wolf, accustomed as he is to having his own way in the

wilderness, will not tolerate much training or punishment when tamed; therefore the dog’s servility must come mostly from jackal and coyote ancestry. The jackal in particular is a humble creature that follows the lion or other big killer and gnaws the bones he leaves. The fox, though also a member of the dog family, does not seem to have had any part in the development of our dogs. That the timber wolf can be tamed has often been proved, but he should be started as a youngster. Then he will be playful like a puppy, but a very lively one who every now and then may take a bite out of a cow, or chew up some neighbor’s dog. If raised with a dog, he becomes his close friend, even taking his part against others in any row, and when a wolf fights he means business! When about two years of age he is liable to grow so dignified that he resents any act which appears to him to be hostile or to injure his pride; a serious thing sometimes, for a tame wolf seems never to forget a grudge. One that is full grown is much too strong to be easily managed, and if he really “goes bad,” is for the moment again a wild animal. Striking him cannot cow his spirit. Bristling all over in sudden fury, champing his great white teeth together until foaming at the mouth, then leaping at you with a blood curdling roar while his eyes flash the death gleam into yours, he is terrible to face. However, it is not surprising that he may sometimes forget a year or two of domestication and suddenly go back to the wild methods of countless ages of life in the forests and plains. Wolves are partly gregarious. The youngsters follow their mother about for a number of months and with her form a family group to which the father may or may not attach himself. When the hunting becomes difficult in winter, largely from the fact that by that time young deer, moose and other young food animals have become more mature and difficult to kill, as well as scarcer, two or more family groups often join together partly because larger numbers make the hunting-down of big animals easier and partly because when hungry they cannot bear to see or hear other wolves following game without

joining in the chase themselves. There is not much love lost between different group members of such a pack; the association begins to break up as soon as the mating season approaches. The old she-wolves are often out in front when family groups and other packs do their hunting, but the most powerful and ambitious old male dominates the pack with which he associates himself, and though he may not bother to run ahead of the she-wolves, he is the strength around which everything revolves and is the real head or leader. Some, of course, are much more dominating than others; such a one was the King of this story. Some of the largest wolves left today are found in Alberta’s great mountain forests. They grow to nearly twice the size of the grays that once followed the buffaloes in the West, and though there are not very many of them now, these are wary almost beyond belief. Unlike their relatives of the plains who had to take up the killing of tame cattle as soon as the buffalo herds vanished, these wolves actually still live and hunt in very much the same thrilling manner as before the coming of the pioneers. It is possible that here will be the American wolf’s final stand against man. Therefore it was in Alberta, part of which is still a wilderness and game paradise, that a wolf leader was found around whom a fairly complete story could be written; not a work of mere fiction, but a painstaking account of what might well have been the adventures and career of a mighty wolf who understood how to elude man and whose great passion was leadership. His size has not been overdrawn. Even the affair of the dog that deserted mankind and joined the wolves was inspired by an actual instance of this kind.

J. W. L.

Contents 1 THE BAYING OF THE PACK

13

2 THE FATE OF THE PACK

17

3 OLD JIM’S LUCK

22

4 THE WOLF DEN

27

5 THE BLACK WHELP

32

6 LEARNING TO HUNT

37

7 FIRST FIGHTING DAYS

43

8 WINTER ON THE PORCUPINE

48

9 THE TRAPPING SEASON

52

10 SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST

57

11 A DAY OF SPRING

62

12 CLIMBING IN THE CLOUDS

68

13 MIGRATION OF THE FUR-BEARERS

74

14 THE SNARE

80

15 FINDING A MATE

85

16 THE KING BEGINS HIS REIGN

89

17 THE ATTACK WITH HOUNDS

94

18 JOHNNY’S OLD GRAY HORSE

101

19 TRACKS IN THE SNOW

107

20 AMBUSH IN THE STORM

114

21 BEHIND THE SMOKE

119

22 HARRY LIGHTNING GOES HUNTING

126

23 SHOOT THE LEADER!

133

24 AT BAY

141

25 CALL OF THE NORTHLAND

149

AFTERWORD

157

Illustrations Suddenly a horde of wolves came into view frontpiece

PAGE

The coyotes approached with confidence

45

Without warning the cat charged grayback

65

The King rarely left the side of his poisoned mate

129

Like bees the dogs clambered over him and clung

145

CHAPTER ONE

The Baying of the Pack >>>>>>>>