The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-12-20
HOW KLKs FIGHT WOLVES.
A Most Remarkable Battle With essed
n ar Oregon Ravine.


Tia owners Of the large sheep ranches In
the vicinity Of Linkvilie. Ore, have been
50 much annoyed lately By the depredstions
committed b. the white wolf in their herbs
&ha. a Grand hunt for these daring Inaraud-
srs was organized recently Toe white
wolf Of Southern Oregon Is tie hercest anil
r,ai-not even excepting the tear-tO be
fr,nssd in the country. and Is 2 Formidable
looking beast, often attaining i've fest N
learth. aad nearly Is large a. a yeaTliug
calf. His strength and ferocity are remark
abe. and his courage uCdauntest.
Knowing him = be a ra-neT tough Gus
fouer % tackle at close quarters. the nunJ-
ice party, which consisted Of half dozen
Of the eighboTi1g stock owners and your
correspondent, went thoroughly armed
AGAINST him. with hunting knives. re-
volvers. and rifles. Ths cunning Of the
animal il evaGing pursuit Is incredible, and
6f1er chasing upie all nlgnt We found
ourselves n nearer than before, 50
inst at davbre1k & halt was decided
ruon. and breakfast was eaten
under en- immense pine growing in
narrow glen between two rocky
crags. about quarter Of a mile or a littla
mare IN length, aud through which little
SHALLOW stream trickled over a pebbly bot
4orn. We kept Is quiet as possible. for the
tracks Of different animals IN the saody
l,auks of the stream showed that it was
frequent resort Of Wild beasts. ard, sure
enough, before the meal was finished we
felt the ground begin % tremble under the
tread Of an approaching band Of some large
animals Quick as thought we had dis
Tsersed. and taken up stations about 200
yards apart In the underbrash, which was
dense enough to conceal Us completely, and
vet admit OF our getting good view Of the
gslue-
We had scarcely time 10 freely breathe
before the lower growth OF trees closing the
entrance OF the little vale parted and the
form # huge elk appeared, advancing
proudly toward the stream we had just left
"A nobler-looklng creature than the elk
found on the Pacific coast, with his stately
antlers. such as the hunters of the Eastern
states have no conception OF, and bis dainty
tread and his sensitive nostrlls, cannot well
be imagined. The fine fellow ] have spoken
Of advanced cautiously, shifting the air
with the excitement of suspicion, but hs
had already passed our most distant out
fx1st. so, apparently thinking return equally
hazardous, he brushed forward and was
followed the next moment by herd-one,
two, six, tent was impossible to count
them.
But before our rifles could bs brought to
the shoulder new actor appeared on the
scene A white wolf, quite six feet in
length, and the largest the writer ever saw,
came from the belt Of small timber
already spoken of, bowling frightfully,
and sprang on a fawn drinking near its
zaother, and which screamed loudly as the
wolf bore it to the ground. This seemed to
be signal for the rest of the band 70 APP
pear, and they came yelping down the glen
in pairs and threes, their bloodsnOt eyes and
gaping mouths with smoking lolling
tongues. proclaiming that they were hun
CRY. Inspired by the same feeling OF
curiosity to see what would come of the
interfere and quietly watched the combat
that ensued.
For the elks, which had at first scarcely
seemed TO comprehend the intentions of the
wolves, soon collected themselves, and toss
ing their great heads, began TO paw the
earth with their wild and furious believing
They formed circle about the wolves that
crowded around the body of the PROSTATE
fawn, and presented TO them a formid able
rampant of bristling heads. This circle
narrowed and narrowed until it completely
Enclosed the wolves that now began to
realize their danger, for they left their
prey, plunging forward at a deer,
with swapping jaws and snaring in
frighrful manner that revealed their sharp,
cleaning teeth. But their ferocious
onslaught was received on the lowered
antlers that in turn struck at them, and
sent them bowling back for few moments,
but only to return again to the attempt to
break tcrough the brstling wall Of their
antagonists. This performance was re-
psated again and again, the elks closing
together nearer and nearer at each repeti-
tion, until they finally assumed the offeus-
i've altogether, and began to attack the
wolves With hoof and horn. For a few
minutes the scene was one resembling
pandemonium. The plungiug and leaping
Ct the naddened trapped wolves, and the
steady rising and striking of the bodies of
ta 1aar xyirr bpxvle IF min ft,fa I'D
with the shrieks of rage aud fearful snarl-
ing, made it an occasion never t. be for
gotten by any who were present. As one
Of the wolves, making desperate dash for
liberty, broke at last from the circle and
fled down the valley, Mr.. T, VINO was
my next neighbor in the brush, sent shot
after him. but 1t was apparently without
effect, and was likewise wholly unnoticed
by the elks.
In half an hour the combat was ended.
and the fury of the elks being appeased-
as it might well have been, for they had
killed the last one of the wolves-they with
drew, so that we could see the torn and
bleeding bodies of the wolves that Law scat
tered about the dead fawn. The deer began
now to betray their old uneasiness at our
hidden presence, and we, Judging it was
time to have some sport in our own behalf.
sent volley of shot into them. Three of the
beautiful, stately creatures fell plunging to
the ground in the death agony, while the
fourth. a splendid buck, and the leader of
the herd. was making a succession OF ago
nizing springs TO follow his companions.
that had dashed down the glen with the
laundering tread of troop of cavalry.
The three fatally wounded eks died as we
watched them, and a couple OF well-direct.
ed shots brought down the fourth; SO we
bound them and the wolves to the horses
ard turned our faces homeward, feeling
that our wolf hunt on the whole might be
considered successful.
We issued from the glen and took to the
open road. We had our attention attracted
by low growing and moaning in the
underbrush to our right. Stopping to in
vestigate the cause of this, we discovered a
white wolf rolling over and over on the
ground, tearing at its shoulder, in which
was g gaping, irregular wound, torn by a
CHANGING shot. We decided that this must
be the wolf that Mr.. T. had fired at as
it broke away from the elks, and that his
shot must have taken effect after all. AT
sny rate Mr. T claimed the wolf
as his, and. drawing hislong hunting knife,
walked up to it, and, STOPPING down. was
about TO finish the animal by cutting its
throat. But the creature, though weakened
and exhausted by the loss Of blood, appeared
inaddened by the pain, and as Mr.. T.
bent over IL Spraug at his face Mr. r