Telegram-herald., 1890-03-01
zgn q sae aogs oIa .e st1noas upcn.


we're descending TIE eastern slopes, get
ting down aaong tha foothills. One day
Heatheoss and pushed on together N
advance Of the rest. both Of Is having
the dogs On our nlnd
early IN the afternoon We cane 20 |.
blz- that overlooked little valleY.
which Ne ~ once dscided would % or
e.nping-pl.es for that night A bright
stream ran along the center Of the val
ley Having thooght that perhaps .
herd Of dear might pat in an appearance
II ss kept oas OF sight. Se stretched
ourselves out comfortably on the blus
and awaited developments They proved
20 be interesting beyond al OR expec-
tstions.
We lad been there about an hour per-
kaps, when Heathcote, who had been
looking over 81 the opposite blur, sud
denly grasped my arm. saying, under
his breath:
look there. McTayishi What do
you think OF thztP
"A break in the bluf had n ade . sort
% easy descent into the valley, and
down this there were coming, In single
hle, one. TWO, three, four-no less than
dozen bears Of the large and dreaded
silver-t!p kind; splendid fellows, moss
Of them, bent on having good time on
the sunny slopes beside the stream.
I'VE hardly dared to stir or breathe.
To have attacked them would have been
utter madness Thankful might we be
II We could crawl away without their At
lacking uA
While lying there motionlsss, and
wishing 70 the bottom OF our hearts that
the rest OF the party were on hand to
make matters even, . fierce bark came
from the bluf little above where the
bears frst showed themselves. IL was fol-
lowed by whole chorus Of ofdeep-mouthed
baying, and an ins tant later there
rushed into view. fairly tumbling over
one another in their impetuous haste, a
great pack OF dogs that we az once rec
ognized as those we wished 10 see.
They were certainly fearsome lot
OF creatures Some were long, lean and
shaggy, like Bruce; others were thick
bodied and smooth OF hair, like Vixen,
and all were powerful, demonstrating
brutes, dozen Of whom might eat a
good-sized buffalo for dinner without
feeling uncomfo rtably overloaded after
their meal.
They sighted the bears the moment
they reached the edge Of the bluff, and
at once rushed down 10 the attack. bark
ing as though they would split their
throats. The bears made ready TO re-
ceivs them by massing together at the
top OF little knoll near the water. and
before We could fully realize what was
taking place the fight had begun.
80 far as we could make out the dogs
numbered fifty at least, so that, consid-
ering their size and strength, the odds
were good deal in their favor. but the
bears fought like heroes.
'At first they crowded together in a
sort of circle, with heads facing out,
while the dogs ran round them, snarl-
ing and barking, and watching their
chance 70 spring. A few moments later
the circle was broken up into a dozen
roaring writhing, yelping groups, com
posed OF bear with four or ave of the
dogs clinging tenaciously to different
parts of it's body.
at was the Vixen strain that told
now. Again and again would the bear,
rising on his hind quarters, hurl che dogs
from him with mighty sweeps of his
huge fore-paws, only TO be penned at
once and brought to the ground by a
fresh attack.
'At frequent intervals an agonizing
death-howl would pierce its way through
the horrible clamor, as some unfortunate
dog, caught in the graspof it's maddened
enemy, would be crushed to death in his
resistless embrace.
The minutes slipped by and the fight
still ragged, but there could be no doubt
how it would result. The dogs had the
best of tas TO numbers and they were the
equals of the bears in courage, ferocity
and endurance, if not in sheer strength.
lone by one the big brown bodies
rolled over in the stiffness of death. At
the ond OF about half an hour the fight
was over. Not bear breathed and
around their torn carcasses lay between
twenty and thirty of the dogs, as dead
"a themselves, the best possible proof
of how iercely and obstinately they had
fought.
"Not a word had passed between
Heathcote and myself while all this
went on. We were too much taken up
with the extraordinary conflict going on
before our eyes even TO look at each
other; but when it was all over, and the
surviving dogs, having satisfied them
selves that the bears were really all
dead, lay down 10 lick their many
wounds before they began upon the
feast their brave victims had provided
FOR them, / touched Heathcote on the
shoulder and whispered:
We've seen the dogs. Let's take
good care they don't see US
after such proof of their powers as
we had had, we were in no mind 10 claim
q nearer acquaintance with them on the
score Of having once owned their an
cestors. Accordingly we crawled noise
lessly away, and. making long circuit,
rejoined our party in time 70 prevent
their turning down into the valley,
which We no longer considered good
place 20 camp in for the night.
That was my Arst and last sight OF
the wild dogs OF Athsbascs The fol-
loving autumn I went East and never
returned to Fort Assiniboine. Whether
the dogs have since been all killed of.
or are still running Wild among the far