The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-01-24
DOGS GROWN WILD.
an Island in the Brazos River In
tested with Them.
The Animals Arc Fiorcer and Moro Com
bative Than Wolves-A Battle to
tho Death with the Dog
Victorious.

Several miles below Waco the Brazos
river makes u bend like that in the
James river across which Gen Butler
made the Dutch Gap canal. The island
within this bend is very fertile, and is
planted yearly in cotton, producing a
bale to the acre easily
portion of it, nearest the river, is
densely grown with barbcrry, yipan
and cottonwood, forming n chaparral
only passablc by paths made, perhaps,
by Indians, and kept open by cattle go
ing to water and boys who drive them
Among the animals which inhabit the
chaparral are wild dogs-pariahs, or
descendants of pariahs. The theory of
the planters is that the ancestry of this
vest kennel of dangerous and yelping
ours were unsociable, thicvish and do
nestle ours driven away from Waco
early in its history, says Waco CORE
spondent of the ST. Louis Globe-Demo-
crat. They are essentially wild beasts
now = fierce, cowardly, carnivorous,
hunting in packs and fighting among
themselves over the quarry their Joint
efforts secure. They are rudcr toward
each other than wolves, and with the
Recently a calf, the property of Sena-
tor Coke, became engulfcd in bed of
silt left by the rivers subsistence after
flood. The wild dogs gathered, and
the cow-mother met them. She made a
gallant fight to protect her Offspring,
but the mongrels pulled her down and
were soon rending both her flesh and
that of the calf, snarling and biting each
other over the bloody banquet. At
tractcd by the smell of blood and the
yelping and growing pack of wolves
emerged from the thicl1ct and Joined
or attempted to join in the feast. The
dogs abandoned their meal, ceased their
family strife and made common cause
against common enemy. 1t was a
wild and relentless fight. All over the
sand, or i'll the sticky mud, or rolling
over and over in the shadows, dogs and
wolves, locked together in qucnchless
hate, tore each others throats, bit wal
lowed, and howlcd while some,
tumbling together into deep water,
Heated down the river, fighting Us they
went. Dogs Slew wolves and wolves
slew dogs. Thus war went on, until
many of the combatantS were dead or
hors de combat.
The correspondent of the Globe Dem
ocrat was rowing down the river, and
rested on his oars to witness the novel
and terrific battle. At length only one
pair continued the fight. One of these
was huge shaggy cur and his antag-
oniSt gray wolf, superior to his fell
lows in strength and size. These cham
pions were nearly evenly matched
They fought by swapping, wolf fashion,
part of the time. Then they closed and
wrestled for throathold. They foiled
each other with tho skill of trained
fighters, rising erect, locking arms,
parrying and thrusting with their
fanged muzzlcs until, after fully an
hour had been spent and both were cut
and torn over their entire bodies, the
dog triumphed. Getting his teeth in the
neck of the wolf he closed his eyes, and
when he relaxed his hold the wolf was
dead
When certain that his antagonist was
done for, and to make doubly sure, the
dog dragged the body of the wolf ten
feet over the Shiny margin and uttered
a howl of triumph which brought to life
several of his companions which had
seemed to be dead. Some females came
also from the timber, and the victor
limped to the calf fnished-along with
the remnant of the pack-his inter
rupted meal, and, after drinking deeply
from the river, took his way back,
closely attended by two females, per-
haps his wives.
The reporter could have killed the
brave dog, but would not do it. A bull
let directed against the old veteran
when his battle was won would have
seemed like murder.