mothered me. Prehaps, however, an' I thort so arterwurd, that
blanket saved me many a scratch, although it bamfoozled me a good bit.

"I got the blanket off at last, arter I had made about a mile, I reckon,
and then for the fust time I could see about me. Such a sight! The
moon wur up, an' I kud see that the ground wur white with snow. It had
snowed while I wur asleep; but that wan't the sight--the sight war, that
clost up an' around me the hul parairy wur kivered with wolves--cussed
parairy-wolves! I kud see their long tongues lollin' out, an' the smoke
steamin' from their open mouths.

"Bein' now no longer hampered by the blanket, I made the best use I
could o' my arms. Twice I got hold o' the lariat, but afore I kud set
myself to pull up the runnin' hoss, it wur jerked out o' my hand agin.

"Somehow or other, I had got clutch o' my bowie, and at the next
opportunity I made a cut at the rope, and heerd the clean `snig' o' the
knife. Arter that I lay quiet on the parairy, an' I b'lieve I kinder
sort o' fainted.

"'Twan't a long faint no how; for when I got over it, I kud see the
mustang about a half a mile off, still runnin' as fast as his legs could
carry him, an' most of the wolves howlin' arter him. A few of these
critters had gathered about me, but gettin' to my feet, I made a dash
among them wi' the shinin' bowie, an' sent them every which way, I
reckon.

"I watched the mustang until he wur clur out o' sight, an' then I wur
puzzled what to do. Fust, I went back for my blanket, which I soon
rekivered, an' then I follered the back track to get my gun an' other
traps whur I had camped. The trail wur easy, on account o' the snow,
an' I kud see whur I had slipped through it all the way.

"Having got my possibles, I then tuk arter the mustang, and follered for
at least ten miles on his tracks, but I never see'd that, mustang agin.
Whether the wolves hunted him down or not, I can't say, nor I don't care
if they did, the scarey brute! I see'd their feet all the way arter him
in the snow, and I know'd it wur no use follering further. It wur plain
I wur put down on the parairy, so I bundled my possibles, and turned
head for Laramies afoot. I had a three days' walk o' it, and prehaps I
didn't cuss a few!

"I wur right bad used. Thur wan't a bone in my body that didn't ache,
as if I had been passed through a sugar-mill; and my clothes and skin
were torn consid'ably. It mout a been wuss but for the blanke