Now I must tell of something funny that happened to me.

The morning before Mrs. Hughes arrived I went out for a little ride, and
about two miles up the river I left the road to follow a narrow trail
that leads to a bluff called Crown Butte. I had to go through a large
field of wild rosebushes, then across an alkali bed, and then through
more bushes. I had passed the first bushes and was more than half way
across the alkali, Rollo's feet sinking down in the sticky mud at every
step, when there appeared from the bushes in front of me, and right in
the path, two immense gray wolves. If they had studied to surprise me in
the worst place possible they could not have succeeded better. Rollo saw
them, of course, and stopped instantly, giving deep sighs, preparing
to snort, I knew. To give myself courage I talked to the horse, slowly
turning him around, so as to not excite him, or let the timber wolves
see that I was running from them.

But the horse I could not deceive, for as soon as his back was toward
them, head and tail went up, and there was snort after snort. He could
not run, as we were still in the alkali lick. I looked back and saw that
the big gray beasts were slowly moving toward us, and I recognized the
fact that the mud would not stop them, if they chose to cross it. Once
free of the awful stickiness, I knew that we would be out of danger, as
the swiftest wolf could never overtake the horse--but it seemed as if it
were miles across that white mud. But at last we got up on solid ground,
and were starting off at Rollo's best pace, when from out of the bushes
in front of us, there came a third wolf! The horse stopped so suddenly
it is a wonder I was not pitched over his head, but I did not think of
that at the time.

The poor horse was terribly frightened, and I could feel him tremble,
which made me all the more afraid. The situation was not pleasant, and
without stopping to think, I said, "Rollo, we must run him down--now do
your best!" and taking a firm hold of the bridle, and bracing myself
in the saddle, I struck the horse hard with my whip and gave an awful
scream. I never use a whip on him, so the sting on his side and yell in
his ears frightened him more than the wolf had, and he started on again
with a rush. But the wolf stood still--so did my heart--for the beast
looked savage. When it seemed as though we were actually upon him I
struck the horse again and gave scream after scream as fast as my lungs
w