Lobo, Rag and Vixen

Lobo, Rag and Vixen

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Title: Lobo, Rag and Vixen Being The Personal Histories Of Lobo,
Redruff, Raggylug & Vixen
Author: Ernest Seton-Thompson
Release Date: December 1, 2004 [EBook #14226]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
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[Illustration: LOBO, RAG, AND VIXEN]

LOBO, RAG, AND VIXEN
AND PICTURES
BY
ERNEST SETON-THOMPSON
AUTHOR OF "WILD ANIMALS I HAVE KNOWN," "ART
ANATOMY OF ANIMALS," ETC.
BEING THE PERSONAL HISTORIES OF

LOBO REDRUFF RAGGYLUG & VIXEN
NEW YORK CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS 1908

NOTE TO THE READER _These Stories, selected from those
published in "Wild Animals I Have Known," are true histories of the
animals described, and are intended to show how their lives are lived.
Though the lower animals have no language in the full sense as we
understand it, they have a system of sounds, signs, touches, tastes, and
smells that answers the purpose of language, and I merely translate this,
when necessary, into English._
_ERNEST SETON-THOMPSON
144 Fifth Avenue, New York May 7, 1899_

ILLUSTRATIONS
FACING PAGE
LOBO AND BLANCA . . . . . . 18 REDRUFF SAVING RUNTIE . . .
60 MAMMY! MAMMY! . . . . . . . 78 THEY TUSSLED AND
FOUGHT . . 126

LOBO
THE KING OF CURRUMPAW
I
Currumpaw is a vast cattle range in northern New Mexico. It is a land
of rich pastures and teeming flocks and herds, a land of rolling mesas
and precious running waters that at length unite in the Currumpaw
River, from which the whole region is named. And the king whose
despotic power was felt over its entire extent was an old gray wolf.
Old Lobo, or the king, as the Mexicans called him, was the gigantic
leader of a remarkable pack of gray wolves, that had ravaged the
Currumpaw Valley for a number of years. All the shepherds and
ranchmen knew him well, and, wherever he appeared with his trusty
band, terror reigned supreme among the cattle, and wrath and despair
among their owners. Old Lobo was a giant among wolves, and was
cunning and strong in proportion to his size. His voice at night was
well-known and easily distinguished from that of any of his fellows. An
ordinary wolf might howl half the night about the herdsman's bivouac

without attracting more than a passing notice, but when the deep roar of
the old king came booming down the cañon, the watcher bestirred
himself and prepared to learn in the morning that fresh and serious
inroads had been made among the herds.
Old Lobo's band was but a small one. This I never quite understood, for
usually, when a wolf rises to the position and power that he had, he
attracts a numerous following. It may be that he had as many as he
desired, or perhaps his ferocious temper prevented the increase of his
pack. Certain is it that Lobo had only five followers during the latter
part of his reign. Each of these, however, was a wolf of renown, most
of them were above the ordinary size, one in particular, the second in
command, was a veritable giant, but even he was far below the leader
in size and prowess. Several of the band, besides the two leaders, were
especially noted. One of those was a beautiful white wolf, that the
Mexicans called Blanca; this was supposed to be a female, possibly
Lobo's mate. Another was a yellow wolf of remarkable swiftness,
which, according to current stories, had, on several occasions, captured
an antelope for the pack.
It will be seen, then, that these wolves were thoroughly well-known to
the cowboys and shepherds. They were frequently seen and oftener
heard, and their lives were intimately associated with those of the
cattlemen, who would so gladly have destroyed them. There was not a
stockman on the Currumpaw who would not readily have given the
value of many steers for the scalp of any one of Lobo's band, but they
seemed to possess charmed lives, and defied all manner of devices to
kill them. They scorned all hunters, derided all poisons, and continued,
for at least five years, to exact their tribute from the Currumpaw
ranchers to the extent, many said, of a cow each day. According to this
estimate, therefore, the band had killed more than two