The morning call., 1893-09-10
MONTANA WOLVES
The Story of a Western
RanCl1man.
BIPEDS AND QUADRUPEDS.
How Gratitude Was Shown for the
Great Service Done by fierd
of Wild Elk.

pack of white wolves laid siege to my
ranch and some of the neighboring ranches
around the head OF Wind River" said
Miles Holden Of Montana to New York
Sun man, 'and played hob with our cattle
and sheep. The white wolf is bigger and
more aggressive yet than the black timber
wolf. He grows to be almost as big as a
yearling calf. His strength is IN ost extra
ordinary As fleet as the wind he defies
all pursuit., and even If he were not so
swift afoot his remarkable cunning would
amply serve him in eluding his. ursuers.
This big and fierce beast of prey will kill a
cow with ease, and a pack of them prowl-
ing about the range will soon make alarm
ing inroads on the size of a mans herd.
This Is just what this pack was doing
the season | speak of, and my ueighbur
and myself had spent much time and rid
den many miles in fruitless efforts to hunt
the marauders down. They had inflicted
hu ndreds of dollars loss upon us, and the
way they were keepiag up their raids the
threatened to break us all up in business
before the war was out. More than once
we started cut TO follow the trail of these
wolves. determined to bring them to bay
before we let up, only to come back foiled
and to find that while we supposed we
were pressing IN their wake they had been
back TO the ranch of some one Of us and
despoiled it of several head more of fat
cattle. l afterward learned that no one
ever knew q white wolf 20 be caught or
Killed by either of those methods.
'At last, after a more than unusual
destructive and comprehensive raid on the
ran nches around US, half-doZen of US got
together and resolved to take the warpath
against the lack and to remain on it nigh t
and day until we either wiped It's men,
hor o,,ff he nf ha l. a II
out OF that country. We started out
thoroughly equipped for the crusade. We
called ourselves wolf-huDters, but from
the way the hunt ended we would have
been called wolves instead of hunters, for
we were guilty of a most bloodthirsty act
at it's close. We deserved to be hunted
down like wolves ourselves for it. Until
my dying day l will be ashamed for having
had part in II.
I'VE struck the trail while it was fresh.
1t led us wild and tOrtuous chase all day
and when we had to camp for the night we
didn't suppose we were any nearer the sly
marauders than we were when we started
We halted in a narrow valley, which was
closed mt one end by a border of thickly
growing bushes ana had its head at the foot
of high bluff. A little stream flowed
through 1t. We camped on one edge of
this valley. We we're astir by day ybreak,
eager to start on the chase again. While
VIC WoIc cdlluS Il uaSty UTeakIdSL we 1elC
curious trembling OF the ground. Ope
OF our party, ar old hunter, said that it
was caused by herd OF animals of some
kind that were coming to the creek for
water. We hid in the bushes to see what
they might be. We had hardly done so
when pair of great anilers parted the
bushes at the lower end of the vale only a
few rods away. and following them a mag
nifcenT bull elk stepped cautiously through
into the open. He held his head high in
he air. shifted suspiciously in every direc-
ton, and then, as II satisfied that no
danger lurked near, he made a peculiar
wbistllng sound and marched forward
confidently. Responding to his signal,
such procession as l can never hope to
have the good fortune TO see again came
proudly in his wake, herd of thirty elk.
stately bulls. sleek cows and glossy calves
All of them were large and splendidly
antlered. but none of them approached in
majestic proportion or mein the noble
leader of the herd.
For moment every one of Us gazed
spellb0und on the grand spectacle, and
then the brute instinct in us asserted it.
self. and every mans rifle went to his
shoulder. But before one of us could
fire there broke upon the scene something
that gave quite another aspect to 1t, and
mechanically every mans gun was low
cred. An immense white wolf dashed
through the fringe of bushes through
which the elk had just made their wAv.
and with frightful yell sprang upon a
calf that stood by the side of its mother
while the latter was quenching her thirst
at the creek. The calf. bleating pitifully.
went down beneath the leap of its blood
thirsty foe. and instantly the VOLTS fangs
were at its throat, and the next in.
slant the whole pack came rushing and
yelplDg like demons In upon the startled
herds. That tpis was the pack we were
pursuing there could be no doubt. Chased
from their quest of blood at the ranches,
they had struck the trail Of the elk and had
crept upon them In that quiet vale. There
were twelve in the pack. not One OF them
less than i've feet in length. True to their
kind, they all bounced upon the calf that
the first wolf had killed. and the gnashing.
snarling and swapping of their great jaws
as they fought for morsel of the meat
was enough to frighten an Indian from the
spot Before we had time to think what
II would be best for us 10 do to make our
attack on the wolves the most effective a
movement among the bull elks caused US
TO postpone consideration of the attack.
''At the first onslaught of the wolves the
elk stood as II paralyZed with fright or
astonishment. but before the ravenous
pack could strip the meat from the bones
of the calf the bull elks separated from
the cows and joined each other in group.
There were nine Of them. For moment
tney tossed tneir great aDtlereQ n6aQe in
the air. paved the ground aud made
everything tremble with their loud below.
ing. Then they formed in a circle about
the swapping and snarllng wolves, their
bristling cheveaux de frse Of horns
turned toward them. The wolves, intent
on tearing and gorging on their prey.
had not noticed the action of the elks.
and not until they had left nothing but
the skeleton of the calf and turned to look
for another victim did they discover the
threatening circle of terrible heads that
confronted them. With cleaning fangs,
blood red jaws wide open and eyes blaz-
ing like Goals of fire they attacked the elks
with ferocity that few things could have
stood firm against, but they only buried
themselves upon the sharp and rugged
fronts Of the lowered antlers to be cast
back within the circle bowling with pain
from the wounds the well-thrust horns in-
fiicted
with the repulse OF this assault of the
wolves the elks stepped forward pace or
two, reducing the limits of the bloody
circle. For a moment the wolves huddled
together in the center. uttering fierce cries,
and then they sprang to the attack again.
Again they were met by the terrible antler
thrusts. aud three of the white demons
fell TO the ground disemboweled. The
avenging bulls again reduced the circle by
a pace or two. and the remaining wolves