The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1897-05-22

stand up against them timber wolvesi
They've never had any lessons from Sim
nemahone panthers, these silver-tips
hain't!'
1.-THE bears massed themselves not far
from the base of the bluff as the noise of
the advancing pack drew nearer and
nearer, directly below where 1 was
standing. I knew that the chances
were good for lively fight, and lay
down fiat and looked over the edge of
the bluff, in such position that could
take it all in as it went on. / had scarce
ly done SO when the edge Of the woods
seemed to become suddenly alive. From
the trees along the timber border, yell
ing and bowling like demons, crowd
ing, pushing, and tumbling over one an
other in their haste to get piece of
them bears, swarmed a horde of Zero
cious beasts that at once recognized as
the same kind that had faced down
half an hour or so before. There were
25 in the pack, and haven't any doubt
that they were the same ones, too.
They didn't wait second, but rushed
across that open and threw themselves
upon the massed silver-tips, and the
fight was on.
"The mingled cries of the bears and
wolves filed that peaceful vale with such
sounds as had never heard, even on the
old Sinnemahone in its best days. In
less than a minute the ground was COW
cred with the bloody and lacerated
bodies of wolves and bears. 1t was
fearful had thing for me to lie there and
see that terrible battle and know there
was no way for me to get do--n and have
hand in it. In less than Is minutes
the fight was about over, because there
was only one bear and one wolf left to
fight. The bear was the biggest one of
the lot. He backed up against the bluff.
All around him were strewn the bodies
of foes he had slain. But one had sur
vived his fellows, a tremendous one,
with head and jaw of enormous size. He
was bleeding from score of wounds,
but he sprang over the bodies OF his
dead companions and caught the bear
full in the ragged, bleeding wound in
his throat. The bear gave growl that
made the bluff tremble, threw his lac
Grated forelegs round his assailant, and
drew them quickly together. could
hear the VOLTS bones crack and crunch
in that fearful embrace, but he did not
loosen his jaws from the bears throat,
even to give his death yell. The bear
held his victim tight in that last clutch,
stood as statue moment, then swayed
and fell like topping tree to the
ground. his death clasp around his foe,
his foes death grip at his throat.
"The battle was over. viewed the
field.
There's something like eight tons
of good bear meat and hide wasted
rays /, and about two tons of timber
wolf scattered to the Winds
II hadn't got through commenting We
when suddenly it began to grow dark.
looked up. The air was filled with big
black birds, the roar of their wings
sounding like hurricane, and the focks
so dense that they hid the sun like thun-
der clouds. They settled down in that
valley; and such q feast They were
ravens, birds that grow in that country
to be as big as eagles. The feast didn't
last a bit longer than the fight that had
spread it. Then the ravens rose and
winged themselves away so mysterious
ly that in minute there wasn't one to
be seen in the sky. Below, where such
fierce and noisy life had been so short
a time before, there was nothing but
cleaning white bones and staring skulls
to mark the scene.
"'Guess there won't be anyone try
ing to stir up silver-tip or timber wolf
in this region any more says /.
They've cleaned each other pretty well
out, take it.
$50 I shouldered my timber wolf
from. 1 tumbled the wolf down before
the Fort Washable man. He staggered
back, turned pale, and came near faint
ing away.
"'Great Bloody gulch ghostl' he
yelled, as soon as he got his breath.
That amt timber wolf! A timber
wolf is pet maltese kitten longside o.
that critter. That's one o. the roarin'
terrors O. Wind river! That's wild dog
o. the Wind river mountainsl They're
the terror and scourge o. the region!
They're death to every ivin' thing that
roams mountain or plainl They're
speedy, tireless, stubborn! The swiftest
thing in the woods can't outrun 'eml
The fiercest and biggest can't stand up
ag'in' 'em! Nothing can stop 'em in the
chase, and nothing can turn EN- away
from what they start out to gitl
They've got only one mission-to pur
sue, slay and devourl Where did you
find this one dead? No livin' man killed