The Republican., 1897-04-22

| stand up against them timber wolves!
They've never had any lessons from Sim
nemahone panthers, these silver-tips
hain't!'
"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 | was
standing. l knew that the chances
were good for a lively fight, and l 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
" 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 horde of fero-
cious beasts that | at once recognized as
the same kind that | had faced down
half an hour or so before. There were
% in the pack, and | haven't any doubt
that they were the same ones, too.
They didn't wait a 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 filled 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 a
fearful had thing for me to lie there als
see that terrible battle and know there
was no way for me to get down and have
a hand in it. In less than Is minutes
the fight was about ovet. because there
was only one bear and one wolf left to
fight. The bear was the biggest one of
the lot. lie 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 a 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 a growl that
! lllduC IllC Dlull lItlIlDle, Threw MS 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 a 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
says l, and about two tons of timber
wolf scattered to the winds
81 hadn't got through commenting vet
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 flocks
so dense that they hid the sun like thun-
der clouds. They settled down in that
valley; and such feast. They were
ravens, birds that grow in that country
to be as big as eagles. The feast didn't
last n bit longer than the fight that sad
spread it. Then the ravens rose and
winged themselves away so mysterious
! lY that in a 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 l shouldered my timber wolf
trophy and went back where | came
from. | tumbled the wolf down before
the Fort Washable man. He staggered
back, turned pale, and came near faint
ing away.
"'Great Bloody gulch ghost!' he
yelled, as soon as he got his breath.
That amt a timber wolf! \ timber
wolf is Il pet maltese kitten 'longside O
that critter. That's one O. the roarin'
terrors O. Wind river. That's a wild dog
O the Wind river mountains! They're
the terror and scourge o the region.
They're death to every livin' thing that
roams mountain or plain! They're
speedy, tireless, stubborn! The swiftest
thing in the woods can't outrun 'em!
The fiercest and biggest cant stand up
ag'in' 'em! Nothing can stop 'em in the
chase, and nothing can turn 'em away
from what they start out to git!
They've got only one missiOn-to pur-
sue, slay and devour Where did you
find this one dead? No livin' man killed
one!'
Mo- says /. That's cause no living
man out here ever stood up before Sim
nemahone panthers.' says l.
But l guess that pack of wild dogs
of the Wind river mountains must have
been the last of their race, for | never
ran across any more all the time l was
out there. Eve always been sorry,
though, that / didn't know they were
wild dogs of the Wind river mountains
instead of timber wolves, for I'd have
pitched in and saved some of them
silvcr-tips. N. Y. Sun.
OF Course 1t Was Safe.