A Calf had died in branding-time and now, two weeks later, was in its
best state for perfect taste, not too fresh, not over-ripe--that is, in
a Wolf's opinion--and the wind carried this information afar. The
Yellow Wolf and Duskymane were out for supper, though not yet knowing
where, when the tidings of veal arrived, and they trotted up the wind.
The Calf was in an open place, and plain to be seen in the moonlight. A
Dog would have trotted right up to the carcass, an old-time Wolf might
have done so, but constant war had developed constant vigilance in the
Yellow Wolf, and trusting nothing and no one but her nose, she slacked
her speed to a walk. On coming in easy view she stopped, and for long
swung her nose, submitting the wind to the closest possible chemical
analysis. She tried it with her finest tests, blew all the membranes
clean again and tried it once more; and this was the report of the
trusty nostrils, yes, the unanimous report. First, rich and racy smell
of Calf, seventy per cent.; smells of grass, bugs, wood, flowers,
trees, sand, and other uninteresting negations, fifteen per cent.;
smell of her Cub and herself, positive but ignorable, ten per cent.;
smell of human tracks, two per cent.; smell of smoke, one per cent.; of
sweaty leather smell, one per cent.; of human body-scent (not
discernible in some samples), one-half per cent.; smell of iron, a
trace.
The old Wolf crouched a little but sniffed hard with swinging nose; the
young Wolf imitatively did the same. She backed off to a greater
distance; the Cub stood. She gave a low whine; he followed unwillingly.
She circled around the tempting carcass; a new smell was
recorded--Coyote trail-scent, soon followed by Coyote body-scent. Yes,
there they were sneaking along a near ridge, and now as she passed to
one side the samples changed, the wind had lost nearly every trace of
Calf; miscellaneous, commonplace, and uninteresting smells were there
instead. The human track-scent was as before, the trace of leather was
gone, but fully one-half per cent, of iron-odor, and body smell of man
raised to nearly two per cent.
Fully alarmed, she conveyed her fear to the Cub, by her rigid pose, her
air intent, and her slightly bristling mane.
She continued her round. At one time on a high place the human body
scent was doubly strong, then as she dropped it faded. Then the wind
brought the full calf-odor with several track-scents of Coyotes and
sundry Birds. Her suspicions were lulling as in a smalling circle she
neared the tempting feast from the windward side. She had even advanced
straight toward it for a few steps when the sweaty leather sang loud
and strong again, and smoke and iron mingled like two strands of a
parti-colored yarn. Centring all her attention on this, she advanced
within two leaps of the Calf. There on the ground was a scrap of
leather, telling also of a human touch, close at hand the Calf, and now
the iron and smoke on the full vast smell of Calf were like a snake
trail across the trail of a whole Beef herd. It was so slight that the
Cub, with the appetite and impatience of youth, pressed up against his
mother's shoulder to go past and eat without delay. She seized him by
the neck and flung him back. A stone struck by his feet rolled forward
and stopped with a peculiar clink. The danger smell was greatly
increased at this, and the Yellow Wolf backed slowly from the feast,
the Cub unwillingly following.
As he looked wistfully he saw the Coyotes drawing nearer, mindful
chiefly to avoid the Wolves. He watched their really cautious advance;
it seemed like heedless rushing compared with his mother's approach.
The Calf smell rolled forth in exquisite and overpowering excellence
now, for they were tearing the meat, when a sharp clank was heard and a
yelp from a Coyote. At the same time the quiet night was shocked with a
roar and a flash of fire. Heavy shots spattered Calf and Coyotes, and
yelping like beaten Dogs they scattered, excepting one that was killed
and a second struggling in the trap set here by the ever-active
wolvers. The air was charged with the hateful smells redoubled now, and
horrid smells additional. The Yellow Wolf glided down a hollow and led
her Cub away in flight, but, as they went, they saw a man rush from the
bank near where the mother's nose had warned her of the human scent.
They saw him kill the caught Coyote and set the traps for more.