But take my word for it, it is so tame now that it eats
out of your hand compared to what it once was. Why, now it's the rarest
thing in the world that you ever see a wolf--that is, a real wolf," as
Tom started to interrupt. "What I'm thinking of is a real timber wolf,
not one of the slinking coyotes you see every once in a while. There is
no animal I'd go farther out of my way to avoid than a hungry timber
wolf, and anybody else who knows anything at all about them will tell you
the same thing.
"They are half as big again as a coyote, and twice as strong. Why, a
full-grown timber wolf will throw a running steer. Man is the only thing
in the world they're afraid of, and they're not afraid of him when
they're very hungry or running in packs. When driven to it they'll tackle
almost anything.
"I remember one time when I had occasion to go to Belford, a little
trading station some twenty or thirty miles from our camp, to secure some
much-needed supplies. It was the middle of winter, and an exceptionally
cold and severe winter at that. Fresh meat was naturally very scarce, and
the wolves were becoming bolder and more fearless every day.
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