The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1895-11-07
\ TERRIBLE COMRAT-
FRIGHTFUL BATTLE BETWEEN BEARS AND
PACK or WILD DOGS.

| acre nave been savage uJn'S De
tween Wild beasts Of antagonistic ma
ture meeting in the forest depths, the
Jungle. or unobstructed plain" said
an ex-army officer who sp Mt many
years on the great western frontier.
but | doubt If ever there was
one in which all the elements of
ferocious, unrelentlng, dloody combat
We're SO completely end fercely engag
ed as they were in one it was my for
tune to be witness to some years agO
among the mountains of Warm Spring
Basin, in the wild region drained by
the Upper Wind river and its tumbling
tributaries. In no other region that [
ever beard OF could such a combat
have occurred, for il is not probable
that a similar race of Of animals exist
anywhere else.
"a number of years ago there was
an officer at Fort Washakie who was
a great lover of blooded dogs, and he
always had several Of different breeds
at his quarters. He had greyhounds
for jackrabbit and antelope coursing,
staghounds for deer, bulldogs for
fighting, and dogs of many other
kinds and degree. Once he imported
a magnificent specimen of the Scotch
staghound and one Of the ugliest,
most misshappen, vlcious-looking
English bulldogs | ever saw. The
latter was a female. A few days
after these two dogs arrived at
Fort Washakie they disappeared
The country was searched for
miles around, but no trace of the
missing animals could be found. They
must have taken up their abode some
where In the fastness of the Upper
Wind river mountains, for race of
wild dogs, with a resemblance to both
the staghOund and the bulldog, pos
sessing the speed, endurance, and in
telligence of the former and the fero-
city. pugnacity and tenacity of the
latter. has developed in that region
since the two dogs disappeared. These
dogs are not the nondescript animals
known as the Indian dogs Of Montana
which are "A mixture Of dog, wolf and
coyote, and partake of the nature Of
all three. These animals are savage
enough, as every frontiersman knows
and can only be dOmesticated by In
dians, around whose tepees they
swarm; but you might as we'll com
pare a Maltese kitten with a cata
mount fc- terceness as to compare with
one Of these nondescTipts with the
wild dogs Of Upper Wind river. The
latter are a more dreaded and danger
Gus beast even than the rare and fero- |
cious- timber wolf of the Canadian
border, which has claws like tiger |
and paws six inches long. and the tim |
Der wolf is the herdsmen's and the /
hunters particular terror. The wild /
dogs Of the Wind river are the scOurge /
of the region They hunt in immense /
packs and are the implacable enemy
Of every other living thing that roams !
mountain or plain. Speedy, tireless, !
savage and stubborn, the tieetest foot /
ed denizens of the woods cannot es-
cape them, the most formidable and /
ferociOus fail to long withstand their (
attacks, and no difficulties or obstacles .
can deter them in the chase or turn .
them from their purpose. They have /
bat one mission to pursue, slay and .
deyour.
The king Of the Rocky Mountain .
bear family Is the dreaded silver tip. /
This bear is believed to be mongrel, a
cross between the true grizzly and the
brown bear of the Rockies All the
qualities OF both these bears are pos
sessed by the silver tip, and the curl
ous fact Is that he holds all Of them in
a much greater degree than either Of
his prOgenitors. The grizzly bear is
of enormous size. ferocious and pos
seSSed of fabulous strength and tough
ness but he has little sagacity and no
agility. The brown bear is agile. willy
sagacious and stubborn. The silver
tip Is bigger. more ferocious and
stronger and tougher tnan the grizzly
and at the me time can give the
brown bear points on agility, sagacity
and stubborness. Consequently when
hunter runs across a silver tip and
concludes to bag him be must make
up his mind that he has taken the
contract to circumyent a grizzly, a
brown bear and silver tip all at the
same time
One fall | heard that o number of
silver tips were in the habit of coming
down from the Upper Wind river
mountains to enjoy their favorite .
siestas on the bright, sunny hills of
the Warm Spring Basin. | was in
that region. deer hunting and one day
thought would make a quiet tour of
the slopes. thinking that | might hap
pen to get sight of some of the noun
tain monsters, if not shot at one.
After half an hours clambering about
along the slopes without seeing or
hearing anything toiudicate that there
had ever been a bear in that locality.
| concluded to return to camp |
stood "a piece of timber, but looking
ahead through the trees l saw
there was an open space short dis
tanca farther or. and thought [ wonld I
make for that to see what prospect it
overlooked before turning back. |
found that the open space was a wide !
plateau. extending along the face of /
the hill for long distance. 1t was
only few rods in width. and termin-
ated abruptly, having evidently a per-
pandicular face l walked TO the tor
Of the bluff and found that it over !
looked a beautiful valley not more /
than 200 yards vide the bluff forming
it, boundary on o. side and dense
growth OF timber enclosing it on the /
further border. The timber was on
ground that led in q gradual slope to .
the base of a. high and rocky mountain /
a mile or more away The valley lay /
at least hundred feet below me. and /
at any other time l wonld undoubted /
ly have fingered in rapt admiration of
the charming picture it and its en-
vironments presented. but my eyes
rested on another sight, and valley. /
woods and sun-capped heights faded