San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1888-10-05
THE WOLVES.

Where the fir trees began TO grow less
closely; where, between their tall trunks and
in their black foliage cleaned a few crimson
splashes Of fire as the sun sank below the
horizon; where the snow lay deep and I'M
spotted, save by the mult1tutinous prints of
their own restless feet-there, on the out
skirts of the forest, at the wane Of day, the
W ct744s5 were gathering themselves together
Hungry they We're and eager ~ wVtk to he
gin. There was no play among them, no
leaping over one another's backs, or wrest
ling, or growing pretenses at fighting. They
were on business-the first business of life: to
keep life; and to keep life, if you happen to
be a wolf, means hard work and plenty of it,
,;th n7- rrrr,e time 30 spare on the amenities
of existence.
And now their old gray leaders-warriors
who have survived many scene OF death
and disaster to man and wolf-leap out to-
gether from the woods upon the darkening
plain. They raise their noses. sniff the
wind and shake themselves One yawns and
stretches his paws, while puff of hot breath
rises from his red tongue, and, as he shuts
his narrow jaws with snap, sharp canine
teeth white as the snow itself, glitter in the
dusk.
Then begins that long, siolching, tireless
trot, that Internal gallop that beats horse and
man and all things living for combined speed
and endurance. The pack covers nearly five
and twenty square yards of snow, and settles
into stride, each beast moving and turning
in unison with the rest as a fight Of birds
mysteriously wheels in air. They are Nor
way wolves these, and experience has long
since taught them what work will be neces-
sary before supper and return to their for
est Businesses
Note what happens almost at the start.
One 1.-THE brute suddenly slips and strains
his leg. Fearfully he glarces at his compan-
ions on the right and left, but as yet they
know not Of the accident All too soon
however, the pace tells upon the injured ami
NAL Nature asserts herself in the great
gray wolf, his eyes glow like red bot embers,
his sinewy leg gives under him, be bowls his
farewell to dear life, and his place in the
ranks know him no more. But the MANNED
creatures sufferings are over almost in
stantly, for the flttest alone survive in q
pack of wolves A raverous fighting mass
of fur and legs and teeth closes IL upon him,
and be is gone, leaving no monument more
enduring than drops Of his own bot blood
which have fallen and melted for themselves
deep holes in the trampled snow
Then forward they sweep. the cannibals
on the best possible terms with one another
and feeling as you would feel after auchOvy
or an olive, or some such preliminary K
more important gastronomic efforts.
But now, ahead, there stands solitar!
tree, naked save where, on It's top:I"S
branches, the dark pine needles ming" n o..
shapeless clump, or where, lover down
dead cones still cling to the pare. boz Il
the rough bark at its foot are fec os WOO!
but the sheep which rub them IS tuere i!
the summer are far away Just IL
Something Of greater inte"es- meets th
wolves here. Along the snow at the base 0
this tree, and running CT right angles to IL
course they have, till now, been taking, ex
tend two parallel lines, cut by the irons 0
a sledge One vehicle alone has, passed sine
the snow last fell, but 1t appears to hav
gone by quite recently, for the scent
strong and the pack take it up without
moments halt Now supper becomes Pre-
liability, for where there is a sledge ther
is q horse, perhaps two; where there is
sledge there is man, possibly more tina
one
Have you ever heard the bowling {
wOiyesl
/ have, seated In a comfortable place {
entertainment, with my mind at ease an
certain knowledge that many iron bars,se-