They were not, like the hounds of Sparta, dewlaped and flewed; but they possessed the acuteness of these, with the courage of the mastiff. They were very large, and accustomed to the strife of the woods. Tyger was grave and intrepid. Small game excited in him no interest; but when the breath of the foe greeted him in the breeze, he surveyed, at a glance, and with a lofty aspect the surrounding wood. Slow, steady, and firm in pursuit, he remained silent until the object of his search was found; and then, a cry more terrible than his
“Was never hallowed to,
Nor check’d with horn in Crete or Thessaly.”
He had lost an eye in the battles of the mountains, and was, in every sense of the word, a veteran.
Pomp was active, generous, affectionate, and in courage and perseverance unrivalled. In the night, it was his custom to pillow his head upon his master’s breast; and he ever seemed concerned to guard him from the dangers of an unsheltered repose.
Perhaps too I may here notice some traits in the character of the wolf. The countenance of this animal evinces both cunning and ferocity. The length of his body is generally about four feet, the legs from fifteen to eighteen inches, the circumference of [99] the body from two and an half to three feet, and the tail sixteen inches in length. The colour of the wolf is a mixture of light and brown with streaks of grey. His hair is long, rough, and very coarse; his tail is bushy, something like that of a fox, his body is generally gaunt, his limbs are muscular, and his strength very great: with perfect ease he can carry a sheep in his mouth.
The cunning and agility of this animal are equal to his strength; and his appetite for animal food is exceedingly voracious;—so much so, that he often dies in pining for it. When his hunger is very imperious, even man becomes the object of his ferocity. His sense of smelling is so acute, that at the distance of three leagues, a carcass will attract his attention. The wolf is a very solitary animal; and never associates with his species but for the purpose of attacking a human being, or some animal of which he is individually afraid; and when the object of the combination is effected, each retires sullenly to his den.
It appears by the early stages of English history, that wolves in England have been so formidable as to attract the particular attention of the King; and even as late as Edward the first, a superintendant was appointed for the extirpation of this dangerous and destructive animal.
I may add that not long after the loss of my dogs I reached, just before night, a solitary log hut; and in about an hour after a wolf howled at the door.
Leaving the field of battle, I moved on towards Sandusky rapids. My health had suffered by fatigue and want of sleep. The weather was still moderate; and the water, rushing through the vallies, seemed to sing the requiem of my lost companions. My lone steps too, through the streams, forcibly reminded me of their absence.