The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1891-09-24

spare even man. Very little is known
about their history, but it is general
ly believed that the wild dog is partly
Newfoundland breed and part wolf,
for it must be remembered that the
wolf was once very numerous In New
foundland and Labrador, hunting IN
large fierce packs across the wide
stretches of barrens or treeless NOR
asses Many of the native dogs ran
wild, and long ago were known to mix
among the wolves about the coast
and live in apparent friendship with
them. The wolves in both these
places have now grown scarce, but the
dogs are still grouped together in sew
eral secluded coves and bays along
the coast, living in open in summer
and burrowing away in holes or under
the ground frs and spruces away from
storm and cold in winter. In sum-
mer time these animals live mostly by
the seashore, where they find dead
sculpins, capelan, herring, squads,
tomcods and fiat fish; often they
plunge into the sea and feast upon the
shoals OF small fish that come near
the rocks; when they are tired OF fish
they scamper away inland and hunt
mice, rats, weasels, muskrats, young
birds, rabbits and hares But in win
ter they are often sore pressed for q
morsel to eat, their chief food being
almost entirely hares and rabbits,
but they have been known to scour
the plains for reindeer and to visit
open ponds and brooks in search Of
otter and beaver.
One March morning two boys,
Arthur and Fred Haley, the one about
l6 and the other IS years old, were
spending few weeks in settlement
on the northeast coast OF Newfound-
land, shooting the northern bird
known as the great salt water duck.
The coast, about twenty miles OF so
away from the settlement, was said to
be haunted by wild dogs; indeed, these
animals had sometimes actually dash
ed through the village in their search
for food frightening the inhabitants
old and young. Once they seized a
little boy not far from his home and
tore him to pieces, so that everyone
vicious creatures.
The two boys set out early in the
morning, their intention being TO
shoot seal in cove about ten miles
distant. They took with them a
heavy gun each pair OF snow-shoes,
a pair OF skates, and enough provis-
ions for the day. The course lay
across a stretch of bleak barrens COW
cred with snow, over which one could
not pass without snoW-shoes, as the
crust was thin and brittle; as a long
chain OF ponds and lakes stretched
along in the same direction for twenty
or thirty miles, they brought along
their skates. 1t was clear, crisp
morning, and two hours travel, now
on snow-shoes, again upon skates,
brought them to the cove. There
were several seals bobbingup and down
IN the clear water and they shot
three or four but the wind
having veered SO as to blow off land,
they could not obtain their prizes, and
SO left the place and set out across
Island Head, about five miles further
on, because they knew that in the
shelter OF this cape there was blight
where they could always find bottle
nose divers and big salt water duck.
They used their snow shoes for onlv a
short part of this tramp, as long
stretches OF smooth steel.blue ice Law
across almost to the cove. AS they
drew near fireplace they took off their
skates, hung them across their shout
ders and approached noiselessly, for
the ducks are very wary. A thin
screen of scrub fir and spruce hid their
approach and through this thew crept
on hands and knees to get full view of
the blight; but instead of seeing clus-
GERS OF seablrds as they expected in
Inc calm water between the ice and
the shore, the whole beach seemed to
pc moving and Arthur whispered to
his younger brother while clutching
his ARM
."The wild dogs! wonder if thew
have seen us?" But very clearly thew
had, for the off wind had carried their
scent to the keen noses of the pack,
and Immediately the whole herd turn
ed IN the direction of the boys, their
noses thrust in the air shifting. There
were probably about sixty OF them,
all long, lean brutes with shaggy hair,
sharp noses, rather short ears and
shy, ,skulking eyes. For few seconds
they ran back and forth on the beach,
their heads now turned down but
constantly keeping their eyes upon
Arthur and Fred, who began to re-
treat back into the bushes. As thew
neared this shelter they saw that about
a dozen of the dogs, some of which
were large, and evidently the leaders
make up the bank, followed by the
rest IN a compact body. Then from
all their throats came sharp, crying
noises, somewhat like the barking O
a dog and the yelping of a wolf com
blned; the tumult rose and fell, the
leaders commencing the cry and al
the rest following.
1t was very plain that the pack was
vanishing with hunger, for the snow
IN all the region for hundred square
miles about was very deep, and the
RENDERS, hares and rabbits had gone
farther south whero +ho,, oo,,Jc