THE LAST WOLF IN SUTHERLANDSHIRE.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XIII, Issue 252, 31 October 1878, Page 6

THE LAST WOLF IN SUTHERLANDSHIRE.

(From the " Popular Science Eeviow.') The death of the last wolf and her cubs on the eastern ccasb of Sutherlnndshire. says Scrope, was attended with remarkable circumstances. A man named Poison, of Western Helmsdale, accompanied by two lada, one of them his son and the other an active herd-boy, tracked a wolf to a rocky mountain gully which forms the channel of the burn of Gledale in Glen Loth. Here he discovered a narrow fissure in the midst of large fragments of rocks, which led apparently to a larger openinn; or cavern below, which the wolf night use as his den. The two lads contrived to squeeze themselves through the fissure to examine the interior, while Poison kept guard on the outside. The boys descended through the narrow passage into a narrow cavern, which was evidently a wolf's den, for the ground was covered with bones and horns of animals, feathers, and egg sheila, and the dark space was somewhat enlivened by five orsix active wolf-cubs. Poison desired them to destroy these ; and soon after he heard their feeble bowling. Almost at the same time be saw approaching him a full grown wolf, evidently the dam, raging furiously at the cries of her young. As she attempted to leap down Poison instinctively threw himself forward, and succeeded in catching a firm hold of the animals long and bushy tail, just as the fore part of her body was within the narrow entrance of the cavern He bad unluckily placed his gun against a rock when aiding the boys in their descent, and could not now reach it. Withoutjapprising the lads below of their imminent peril the stout hunter kept a firm grip of the animal's tail, which he wound round his left arm and although the maddened brute strove and struggled and twisted with all her might to force herself down to the rescue of her cubs Poison was just able, with the exertion of all his strength, to keep her from going forward. In the midst of this singular struggle, which passed in silence, his sou, within the cave, finding the light excluded from above, asked in Gaelic " Father, what is keepinz the light from us ?'" "If the root of the tail breaks," replied he, " you will soon know that." Before long, however, the man contrived to turn and get hold of bis hunting knife, and stabbed the wolf in the moat vital parts he could reach. The enraged animal now attempted to turn and face his foe, but the hole was too narrow to allow of this ; and when Poison saw his danger he squeezed her forward, keeping her jammed in, whilst he repeated his stabs as rapidly as he could, until the wolf being mortally wounded was easily dragged back and finished. This occurred between the years 1690 and 1700. The lasfc wolf in Scotland was killed by a man called Macqueen, a man of gigantic stature— 6ft. 7in. in height — who was equally remarkable for his strength, courage, and celebrity as a deer stalker. Id describing the event, the words he is said to have used are as follows : "Asl came down the 'sloehk' (ie., ravine) by east the hill there," said he, as if talking of some everyday occurrence, " I foregathered wi' the beast. My long dog (deer hound) there turned him. I buckled wi' him, and dirkit him, and syne whittled his craigh (i.e., cut his throat), and brought awa his countenance for fear he might come alive again, for they are very precarious creatures." In reward for hi 3 bravery his chief is said to have bestowed on bim a gift ot the lands of "Sean-a-chan," to yield meal for his good greyhound in all time coming. This wolf had the day before killed two children, who, with their mother, were crossing the hilla from Calder. So that the exploit is worthy of record, as evincing botb the bravery of the hero and the fierceness of the British wolf, now extinct.