The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1891-01-13
ELK VERSUS COYOTE.
Strange Fight Witnessed In q San
Francisco Park.
How O!d Pcto Eo.cuod n boo from tho
Jaws of M,rnu ior-ulri i:atti.ng
Estweon Ualiko Focs-v.csory
on tho Right .5iuo.

guishcd himself tho othor night. Not
withstarding Pcto's long residence
among civilization, he Is always savage
ut this period OF tho year.
For q wcole or mora no has boon rs
full Of fight as q candidate is OF promises.
Nor is Prto particular as to tho charac-
ter or quality Of his combat. AS long as
1t is fight ho is satisfied. uo has tried
to stir up muss with some Of the deer
that share tho inclosuro with him and
his family. but though they have some
lively battles among themselves they
evidently consider that Pete Is tho John
l.. Sullivan OF tho crowd and pay no at
tention to his challenges Nor can no
force them to a fight. Whenever he
charges on Thorn tho bucks dodge him In
the brush, and, owing to their lcsser
bulk, easily avoid him. Peto's long
legged offspring, born some months ago,
has rather q hard time OF 1t these days,
but he hides himself among the bushes
and 80 evades his parents irritation.
Up to night before last tho best fight
that Peto could get up was with ono OF
tho fenco posts 10 buttcd and paved
away ut this until it looked as IL he'd
smash tho fcnco. Fortunately tho big
biack-tail buck showed up and took
Pcte's attention from tho post. and by
the time no had chased tho buck thrco
or four times around tho paddock Pete
had forgotten about tho post.
But night before last Pcto got chance
and showed what was In him. Though
he is out OF temper with his family, and
indeed oil tho other tenants OF tho
deer paddock, no nevertheless considers
himself their guardian and will always
savagcly resent an attack on oven his
long-lcggcd son.
Pcto was standing in tho moonlight ut
the eastern end OF tho paddock whom n
littlc doe away of at tho other end of
tho inclosuro gavo loud bloat OF
alarm. Ono OF tho park policemen saw
her spring out OF tho brush, and to his
astonishment observed that coyote was
cl:nging to her throat. uc started to her
as fast as he could, but Pete was ahead
Of him.
The elk gave ono loud answering call,
sound between tho roar OF bull and
tho baa OF u goat. with moro of the roar
than tho baa in it, and then tore of
to the rescue OF tho doc. According to
the ono spectator. Pcto laid his horns
over against his back and hardly
seemed to touch tho ground after tho
first jump. The coyote held on to tho
does throat until Pcte was within q
dozen yards of him. Then he lctgo and
started for tho fence. IIo reached tho
palings, but could not get through, and
tho now thoroughly onragcd elk over
took him. Lifting his front legs with
amazing swiftncss, Pete brought his
sharp hoofs down squarcly on the i'm
trudcr's back. 1t must havo broken tho
coyotes spinc, for he malo no further
attempt to escape, but lay there strug-
Cling, yclping and swapping IIo got one
hold on Pctc's foro leg, but tho ok rot
his big horns to reinforce his hoof. and
after some very lively thrashing around
no broke tho coyotes hold. Then Pete
wont in to finish his adversary. IIoofs
and horns worked so quickly that the
policcmans eyes could not follow thcm.
Oncc Pete raised the prowlcr clean of
tho ground with his antlors and tossed
him ten fcot in the air. But tho crinplcd
coyote was no coward, for n wonder.
Ilo lighted lighting, and somehow rot q
grip on Pctos haunch.
Then there was lively work. Tho
coyote Was safe from Pcto's antlcrs, but
the big elk had his kicking apparatus
very handy, and it was no timc at all
before no had Knocked the coyote of
him and scnt him rolling down the
slope 10 tho nidGlc or tho paddock.
Then tho fight was finished.
Potter gave two bounds down tho slope
and landed. all four feet together, on
the hapicss coyote.
That probably killed tho maraudcr.
but Pete by no means Let up. He paved
and kicked and Gorcd tho body until it
was cut to pieces. 1t was half IN hour
before tho big elk quit mauline tho
carcass.
When he did he simply sounded on
other challenge, OF which thore wore, of
course, no takers, and then stallscd
haughtily around tho paddock making
bluffs OF tho bucks.
How tho coyote got into tho paddock
is mystery. No break was to bo found
in tho fence. and it was evident that no
could not get out when the big ELY
charged him.
There has occasionally been seen
about the park an old woathcr-beaten
coyote, that ordinarily kept we'll away
from tho moro travelled localities,
though no has been seen at night drink
Ing from the watcr-trough. This Is
supposed to BIO the victim of Potes hoofs
and horns. The doe that was attacked
Is small, weakly creature, tho feeblcst
in tho paddock. The CO ,ote doubtless
mado o snap for its throat but only
caught the skin. These animals kill
sheep by cutting tho arteries in tho
neck and drinking tho blood until tho
shoep is dead, and the coyote thought
that in tho absence OF mutton vonison
would not bn had