The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-02-20
WOLVES AGAINST MOOSE.
The Moose Had the Advantage in the
Fight After the SnOwcrust Soft
From the New York Sun.

ened.
From the New York Sun.
Greenville, Me-, Feb bit isn't often
that wolves get after moose in their
yards said Jason Ellis a hunter last
week when they do tackle the big fell
lows on their own ground you may be
sure they've gone through all the deer
yards they know of and have got good
and hungry besides The time they're
likely to attack a moose Is in the early
spring when the snowcrust is hard enough
70 pear them up, while, of course, the
heavier animal breaks through it, and
they can run all around him. At that
season, IL they come on a moose away
from the yard or can manage to worry
MN INTO quitting 1t, they're very apt to
But once it was my luck to see a chase
Of this kind when the wolves got the
worst OF 1t. | was in the timber swamp
near the foot of Mount Katahdin exploring
Tor lumber concern that was intending
70 send crew up there the next season.
IL was the last of March, with four feet
of snow in the woods on a level ana a
crust on II that would hold me up night
and morning without snowshoes, though,
OF course, | didn't leave camp without
them. There had been a cold snap, but
1t couldn't last long at this time of the
year. and on the morning I'm speaking of
the sun was shining warm, with the air
a little moist, showing that a thaw was
coming. As l worked along through the
pine, woods, stopping here and there to
mark tree L came, about the middle of
the forenoon, to the fresh tracks where
moose had been wallowing along through
the snow. He had had a long run and
a hard time of it, for he had left blood
in the snow at every step as he broke
through the crust. It was easy to see
why he was on the run, for on the crust
which the sun had begun to soften, were
the scratching footprints of two wolves.
The moose was heading toward one Of
the big boys that stretch out at the foot
n fala Il surfI,f
call them there.
Il wanted to follow the tracks up and
see What was going to be the end of the
hunting, but with the thaw coming on
threatening to spoil the snowshoeing
when II set in, didn't feel that / could
spare the time to turn aside. But / saw
the end OF the chase, after all. Four
hours afterward l fetched a compass as
me scriptures say, that brought me TO the
edge OF the bog. You understand, these
Dogs are not soft and miry, but are wide,
lever, moist places grown over with carl
DOu moss, with no timber on them except
a. few Stunted trees. A man standing a
the edge can look across a lake. A half
mile out on the bog / saw the moose
MalloWingt along, making pretty good
time, considering the depth of snow with
the two wolves not thirty PAGES behind
him. 1t wasn't all fun for the wolves
now, for the sun had softened up the snow
crust on the bog-the crust was natural l.
ly weaker there than in the upland because
of the bushes and the moisture beneath
and while the moose could push along
breaking through at every step.
of course, they could have caught up
with the moose any time they chose that
day, put their game was to tire him down
first. But the smell of blood when he
had cut himself in the crust had made
them too savage to wait, and, perhaps
being afraid he would get away from
them they began TO close I'm on the moose
He didn't wait for them to get to him when
he found what they intended to do, but
wheeled around as sharply as If all his
four feet had been one pivot and made a
rush Tor the nearest wolf The wolf
was quick enough to jump to one side
once and clear the thrust of the horns
He went through the crust where he land
ed, and then the moose had him. After
the first two seconds there seemed to be
only one IN the tight. quitting, thrusting,
stamping something 1elow the crust
while the fine snow was tossed up around
his antleTs like a cloud.
THE other wolf had run away when the
moose turned and charged, but he was
toolish enough to stop and lie down on
me snow to watch the fight. At last the
moose looked up and caught sight of him
he didn't waste any more time with the
tirst WOLF but went for the other. The
wolf turned to run. but the crust kent
breaking under him, while the moose went
through II like "A snow plough. He caught
up with the wolf in 100 yards running and
mage as quick work with him as he did
with the other; There was no fight; the
wolf couldn't dodge away in the deep
snow and the moose simply stamped him
to death, and then kept on stamping
After he had got through with this one be
turned round toward where the other was
lying as II he had half mind to go back
and give him some more, although there
was no need of 1t. Then he stood up and
lifted his head with the branching antlers
he looked noble, can tell you-and bel
lowed so that could hear him across the
bog as plainly whore I was as if he had
been only ten yards away. After that he
he lay down in the snow to rest up after
his efforts and / went on about nv bust
ness.
Next morning took my gun along and
went out in the bog on my snowshoes and
got the wolf skins. The wolves were two
hard-lookng subjects dead as Juiius
Cesar with half the bones in their bodies
broken. The moose had gone back into
the woods the way he came. He was SAFE
anywhere as far as / was concerned.
wouldn't have shot him IL he had come nm
and offered himself as a mark. !" -
Still Wei Fixed.-"One of your wife's