The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-09-18

Tested, and thinking, l suppose that we
were too far away 10 trouble him, he went
to work. He SCRATCHED at the melon as a
dog does when he digs a hole in the
ground. He gnawed at It and clawed at 1t
until he had an opening through the rind.
We could see him scratching out and eat
ing pieces of the luscious interior and
drinking the juice. 1t was more than the
herder, lad of sixteen years, could stand
He took the shotgun and crept cautiously
toward the patch. The coyote was 80 in
terested he did not see him coming, and
John had time for good aim. The coy
ote fell dead without a struggle. AS there
was bounty of 81 on each pair of coyote
ears, John felt repaid for the loss of that
melon, but he never got through wonder
ing how that wolf knew the best melon.
l saw two coyotes trying to get a calf
one day 1t was young, and its legs wob-
bed so it could not run. Its mother bel
lowed and five other COWS ran to her as
stStance. Tncy arranged themselves In a
circle around the calf, and when a
wolf would come near one of the cows she
would charge at it. The COWS could have
protected the calf perfectly, but 1 rode
over In their direction, knowing that when
they saw me the coyotes would run away.
They did not get the calf that day, at any
rate.
One evening all of our people about the
ranch were sitting in the door yard, adj
miring the beautiful cloud effects A
member of the party called our attention
to two coyotes walking around the chalk
bluffs an eighth of q mile away. They
strolled leisurely around, finally sitting
down side by side on the highest point.
We had a good opportunity TO watch
them One was full grown, the other not
more than half. We decided that they
were mother and son. After sitting stu
a few minutes, the mother thrust her nose
up into the air and raised her voice in
q shrill howl. She followed that by a
succession of swapping, plaintive yelps
which came thick and fast; sometimes
high, sometimes low, but making such Il
volume of sound that 1t seemed impossi-
bic 1t could all come from one small
throat. II would have taken five dogs at
least, and all working hard, to have made
so much noise.
When she had finished the young coyote
tried his best to sing the same song but
his voice quavered and he stopped, dis
couraged before he was half through.
His mother went through 1t again, laying
special emphasis on the prelude. He GER
tainly succeeded better with that the next
time, and after five or six trials sang it
all fairly we'll. They sang 1t together the
last time and the effect was very fine.
We had a shepherd dog-a very intelli-
gent animal-that kept watch over the
cattle in the daytime and the house at
night. One night l was alone on the
ranch. The various members of the FAM
lily had gone away on business, and Cap
tain, the dog, and Tommy Traddles, the
cat, were the only companions l had.
Tommy Traddles slept in the house ana
Captain just inside the storm door. which
1 left open. The inside door was fast
ened.
In the night was awakened by a pecl-
liar snarl under my window. Looking out,
1 saw a coyote gnawing bone Captain
had left there the evening before. Captain
heard him a few moments afterward ami
came tearing around the corner of the
house as though he would devour him. He
suddenly changed his mind, however, for
instead of running, the coyote kept his
ground, as well as the bone showing his
teeth and snarling frightfully. l threw
open the window and urged Captain to go
at him. He did so, and the coyote, more
frightened at the sound of a human voice
than at the dog, fled in the darkness, with
Captain after him. In a few minutes
heard him coming back. This time the
coyote was after the dog. Captain was m
furiated because he had to run home, and
was barking ferociously, snarling ana
growing AS they came near the house
his courage strengthened while that of
the coyote weakened; so when again
called To Captain things were once more
reversed. They had 1t back and forth FOR
nearly an hour, when the coyote became
tired and went away.