The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1890-04-02
WOLVES AND HORSES.
MORTAL COMBAT BETWEEN WILD
STEEDS AND GRAY PROVIDERS.
Experience of Three Hunters In the Pine
nut Mountain Range of Nevada - A
Thrilling Fight to the Death beautiful
Specimens of the Equine Breed.

Thrilling Fight tn the Death-Deautiful
Specimens of the Equine Breed.
Zone of the queerest things about
Nevada, and one that has kept me won
dering." said Tom ID. Sellers. of Carson,
to an Examiner reporter ut the Baldwin.
''are those wild horses. ! have lived in
Nevada twenty-six years. good deal
of that time have been in the Comstock
range, but when not there mining have
been off in the hills of Douglas, Nye.
Churchill and Lander counties.
1T is i'm these that many bands of
wild horses roam at their pleasure, both
winter and summer. In winter the wild
horses usually seek shelter in the Pine
nut range of Douglas county.
This Pinenut range extends for sew
enty-five or hundred miles out toward
Utah. and Is covered with thick growth
of shrublike pines. which bear nutritious
nut and which give ample shelter, while
affording the seclusion which the wild
bands seek The Indians used To live on
this nut and they do yet to some extent,
but In the valleys below the pines, and
growing at intervals among them, is a
very nutritious grass. 1t is on this that
the wild horses live.
LARGE MUSTANGS.
1.-The real mountain wild horse Is
mustang of large size. His shoulders
are untitled for the collar, not being SO
heavy as those Of the American horse,
and he is mountain climber, scarcely
excelled by the wild goat.
Every color, from bright bay to iron
gray, white and black, can be found.
For steady running nothing of the equine
breed can equal him. The racers which
run on our tracks would ortrun him for
a couple of miles, perhaps, but they have
not the staying qualities of the wild
ones.
Il am Just in from the Pinenut range.
| went over there hunting deer in COM
pany with William McKendree and John
Thurston, of Phoebe We fell afoul of
band of about twenty wild horses that
dashed into our camp and liked to have
made us walk more than 100 miles. 1t
was about 10 o'clock, and we had just
turned in.
"Our camp fire was yet brightly
blazing, and | heard a roar off to the
northwest like the tread of an advancing
army. We were on the northwest side
Of the range, and there was steady in
cline right down TO us for a couple of
miles. ! gazed out into the dim light,
but could see nothing, as the fire into
which | had previously been looking and
thinking blurred my eyes.
1.-The roar continued and | called to
Thurston and McKendree TO get up, and
that something was going to happen.
One said it was "A storm brewing away
off in the hills and the other thought it
was an earthquake.
''All three of Us peered forth into the
darkness. Our four horses grew uneasy
and dashed around and pulled at their
lariats
sin minute we saw the band emerge
from stretch of pines and come ON TO-
ward us. They were running at fear
full rate; their nostrils were dilated, and
their long names and tails flying in the
wind. Their eyes flashed fire, and none
of us could understand the reason of
their flight. On they came, seemingly
seeking protection. and dashed right up
to us.
1--WE saw we were to be ground under
their heels unless we did something, and
we began TO shout and halloo for all we
were worth.
"Our horses were meantime dashing
and charging. and it looked as if every
instant they would break away. We
grasped our guns and fired over the
heads of the horses, for they were SO
pretty that we didn't want to kill them.
Finally, just at the last second of
time, when we thought we Were to be
borne down by the wild throng, they
turned and dashed down the hill into the
darkness.
"By this time we began TO hear weird
howls and neighing and stamping.
Every once in while we heard q
whack, as though something was hitting
something else with terrific force, COM
bined with louder howls. The noise was
just behind the spur of pinenut trees,
quarter of a mile away. 1t continued
louder than ever, and two of us con-
cluded TO push on ont and see what the
rumpus was.
Judge of our surprise when we see
three old stations surrounded by pack
of big mountain wolvesssand kicking and
biting for all they were worth. Three or
four of the wolves had been sent to
grass, their ribs broken and disabled in
other ways.
A FIERCE COMBAT.
Around the stations were the able
bodied wolves, swapping and growing
and showing their long, white, vicious
teeth. Their eyes cleaned wickedly in
the darkness. he side Of one of the
horses was bitten and bleeding.
lr.r -. l.