Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1890-11-13
CHASED BY WOLVES.
= Young Pioneers Escape from
the Feroclo1s 5azsta-

Il was II the early part Of $50 that
my father settled among the cotton
WOOD trees OF Major creek, one q the
many streams watering the fertile san
Luis valley Of Colorado. Tua country
was wild enough Il those days Deer
and antelope IN abundance ranged tne
foothills Of the Sau-~e dc Christie
mountains. whose snow-caDpe5 peaks
threw q shadow over our so5--ou+ed
cabin until far into the morning
SkUlking coyotes ana YET more COW
ardly Indians, Travelled VI and down
the broad valley that opened ont
rrandly 10 The south and west Of Is
extending IN = sunny sweep o. twenty
miles 10 the swIftlv-risinc heirLts Of
the SagGacbe and ChocheJope ranges,
while other neirhbo such a. mountain
lions cinnamon and sllver-t-p bears,
made s1ocknan's life q burden 70 him
Last and most dangerous were Z band
OF the huge gray timber wolves.
There are no wild animals more 10 be
dreaded than these same tim bar wolves
especially when pressed by hunger
Then they become veritahle demons.
and woe pom the living thing WHOSE
trail they happen 10 cross
They al once begin q Derclless chase
and COZ time II unTirInCly. -1vallnr IL
speed ana endurance the most sluewy
horse Nothing daunts them. Shoot
one down and ne Is Instantly devoured
by the rest Of the pack, who the-eupon
rush forward with unchecked courage
and appetites but whetted by their
unnatural feast Fire alone can hold
them al bay.
With these ucly brutes i was nv luck
To have an adventure the second spring
after We settled on Major creek. ! WAS
then a lad Of fifteen, small Of my age,
but wiry, and as capable Of enduring IA
tigue Is any man while no one IN the
valley could excel ne II riding after
cattle. throwing lasso or sticking 10 Z
bucking broncbo-
In early days in Colorado i was the
custom TO let stock both horses and cat
Tie. rustic for 1hemselves'7-l- g, rSn
81 large on the dry grass Of tho range
during the cold season: but The first
winter We were IN the valley the wild
animals were SO uischievous that We
were CON PEELED TO herd every beast We
had from fall 70 spring. The grass was
unusually late IN starting W that year
hence al % GUY stock, even our riding
animals, grew very thin
And thereby hangs my tale" for
one evening. n the latter part Of March
q uarticularly cranky old COW broke
away from the herd as we were round
Ing the cattle Up. preparatory 10 driving
them 10 the corral Tor the night, and,
orr horses being SO weak and poor
neither nv brother nor myself could
overtake the runaway.
But when we reported the loss at the
suuper-tab bic that night mother was
much vexed. IS The missing COW was hey
pei mixer
You must hunt her up tomorrow
hors.~ she said, earnestly
No use. mother" my brother Horace
-anlied. Something has eaten her NJ
before now"
i IN not SO sure Of that, father re
marked. Don't you renem h9r how
last sprinr We found her standing Of
mountain lion from her calf9 You lad
better look for her q little tomorrow.
That settled the matter, Of course. SO
in the morning ! herded the stock.
while Horace rode among the foothills
10 the south Of Us. and. as he was IN
successful IN his search that afternoon
JleFr the cattle with hin and started
of 70 the northward, hoping 70 find
some trace 81 our stray by the time
reached Steel Canyon. Il moi before
MY aonx seemed TO be too nearly worn
mt nv his mornings work Tor 80 long
ride that dav: SO first went home and
exchanged nv E-oncho for fathers vel
low careuse. which happened 70 be
stand inc n The stable
Rirhf Lere let me explain that prom
rho is Colorado vernacu2ar for native
,nnr. while .,cayeuse" Is the Montana
Term for the same animal Father
net riding horse. Seliln. had been
brought from the latter State, hence we
usually called him br the local name
A. was changing ny saddle from
one pony TO the other mother came ouI
70 the corral with II sBeaIn1ng cup O.
strong coffee for my refreshmenI ana
when ! rode away, repeated her 1n1unc-
tim 20 .1ook well for TangleBop, Tor
she was the best COW On The ranch
With cherry "AIl right, mother! !
raIyoped of light-hearbedly toward
Steel Canyon, keeping 3 sharp eye Oh
the intervening country
A hours brisk riding brought me 20
s.s mouth Of the gulch: two hours