Sacramento daily record-union., 1888-08-11
A WOLF HUNT.
SAVAGE FEROCITY OF HANS LONG
TIME FOREST ENEMY.
body Drops Work and Joins
in the Chase.

stfolleu out on the plall9fln OF the LTeIght
shed, and presently stopped in front of an
uncouth looking bundle-a heavy pack of
grizzly skins, blood-stained and haunted
by myriads of buzzing flies.
'What in the world woRld you call
that?' he asked the cofee-co}ored station
master.
''That? Pele cenizo-gray peltry," said
the Mexican, knocking the ashes off his
cigarette.
"Gray-what2'
'FGray peltry-wolf skins, you know.
They are getting too foul to let them go
mixed up with the other freight
"Wolf skinsm detaching one OF the
shriveled hides. Il thought they would
be larger. Wolves must be puny brutes,
after all"
The Mexican shrugged his shoulders.
''They are large enough to give us good
deal of trouble, Senior.
MANS ANCIENT ENEMY.
Few primitive nations would question
that fact. The gray wolf does not reach
the hight of mastih, and his weight
rarely exceeds ninety pounds, but for long
ages that "puny brute has disputed the
prestige of Gods viceregent ON earth, and
in many pastoral regions of Europe and
North America is still 4 greater plague
| than all other beasts of prey and all
| troublesome birds and reptiles taken to-
gether. The wilderness of the northern
hemisphere has been conquered only by
an alliance of men and wolf dogs, and the
unaided powers of our primitive ancestors
might have failed to prevail against the
versatile talents of creature that COM
bines the fangs of panther with the fleet
ness of deer and the keen scent of the
fox, ard which only incessant persecution
can prevent from multiplying at the rate
of sixty per cent. year.
The last wild wolf of the British Islands
is said to have been shot in 1862, in the
highlands of the western Grampians, but
wolves still abound in the Apennines. in
the Carpathian mountains, in the southern
Alps, in Russia, Turkey, Norway, Tran
sylvania, southern Switzerland, in all the
Spanish Sierras, and even in the highlands
of the French Cevennes, hardly two hun.
dred miles from the "capital of civiliza-
ton"
WOLVES IN NORTH AMERICA.
Mexico and our Southern border State,
still harbor three species of genus lupus
the black wolf, the coyote or prairie vol
and the gray wolf (cdnis occidentdlis), the
last the most mischievous and, with the
single exception of the grizzly BEAR the
boldest predatory quadruped of the North
American Continent. Wolves, surprised
in the act Of disemboweling a dead horse
have been known to attack a meddlesomC
dog and tear him limb from limb, and
then, as if encouraged by their success
make headlong charge upon mounted
hunter, and in spite of repeated p,sto
shots, pursue him for distance of severa
miles. A full-grown wolf is more than
match for a man armed with the primitiv,
weapons of our forefathers Unlike tn,
black bear, who hugs before he bites, tn,
gray wolf is apt to decide his duello by
single spring at the throat of his adver
sary, and neither the dewlap of steer no
the garments of fur-clad hunter can re
tist the efficiency of his terrible fangs-
fangs differing from the teeth of a New
York butcher dog as Spanish stilett,
differs from common jackknife.
A "hue and cry" is phrase often ap
piled to the petty stop-thief sensations O
our modern cities, but he that would know
the original significance of the term shoult
see the effects of a wolf alarm in the up
lands of Chihuahua. The restless vigi
lance of the mounted herders has gradu
ally driven the wolf population to tn
fastnesses of the alturas, or rugged high
lands, where caverns and thickets of myrtl
, and cedar shrubs offer them vantage grounc
| In stress of famine, however, the tierc
, highlanders now and then sally in force
! and by avoiding all beaten roads, occasion
ally succeed in raiding the pastures of
lonely rancho and efecting their retrea
to the summit regions of the Sierras.
, A CIRCLE HUNT.
/ The experienced leaders OF such expe
: ditions are not apt to tarry on a scene {
/ carnage, well knowing that the shelter
I night alone can avert retribution if hi
$ retreat should be interrupted. At the frs
f sound of the trompddd, or alarming-trun
5 pet, the farmer leaves his plow and tn
! miner his pan, dogs are unclaimed, horse
: saddled in wild haste, and, five minute
e after, dust-clouds sweeping across the veg
t as if on the wings of the storm, announC
y the arrival of rescuing parties from far an
t near. There is no time to be lost. Th
S bafiled marauders are flying for the Sierr;
:, and by On unsparing use of spur and viii
c may be overtaken, headed off, perhap
| and possibly caught in the coils of rode,
i or circle hunt-a sport the wild hunter
: would not exchange for the spectacle
= the finest bull-6ght in Spanish Americ
r Forward, hounds and racers ahead throug
brush and bramble, guided by the bug
signal of the vanguard-joining the dire,
:. pursuit or taking advantage of bee-lir
trail to gain the uplands ahead Of I'll
e fugitives, and turn their flight by fan
charge
d The wolves keep well together, full
aware that stragglers will be instantly co
II nered another mile and the thiekets al
gained but left and right the hillsid
already clatter under the hoofs of gallo
% ing horses, the fatal trompada rings out i
signal blasts mingled with even loud
cheers, and the running fight with legio
Is of yelping ours presently becomes gel
K eral melee, the ghgos, the fierce bloo
hounds of the border ranches, have forge
l. ahead, and cheered by the yels of Il
e hunters, at once rush into the thick of ii
flying outlaws. For moment the teri
y BILE snap-bites Of the maurauders prevail
/ the aggressors recoil, but the victory h
been purchased at the price of perilo
delay, the racers have passed the foothill
Il II and horn signals already blare from Il
L gates Of the mountain passes; the renal
ing hopes Of escape are measured by mi
y utes. The gdigos again rush in; but
J. the midst of the confusion veteran VIC
is seen standing firm, scanning the roc
}; ahead with the eye of an expert campaigne
IT evidently resolved to keep his wits steat
Il and utilize every possible chance OF salv
ton.
ar BLooDHoUNDs IN PURSUIT.
e. But the change is soon reduced to pr
blem of battle tactics. The confusion
the second charge has involved the loss
w an additional minute, and that minute
Il decided the fortune of the day. Rel
a forcements of bloodhounds charge howlil
up the glen, whirl of galloping hoo
sends down shower of pebbles from t
- - flank of lateral ridge, and new detac
I. ment of hunters storms ahead to compile
= the blockade of the dltprds.
% Every gaigo of the uplands will soon
"a on the ground, even if his owner shou
Ill have to recall him from the view hal
lg chase OF deer hunt Near the little mi
ly ing hamlet of San Rafael, once yisitt
the camp of railway surveyor, when t