Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-05-16
MONARCH OF THE PRAIRIE.
Battle Between Buffalo and Score Of
Wolves.

| wolves.
Take your stand here on this bluff ant
you can look down upon a spectacle as
| exciting as anything offered in the days
of bloodthirsty Roman sports. Stretch
| ing away to the north is dip and hollow
and broken ground for a mile. Their
comes the grand prairie, sweeping clear
to the south fork of the Platte before il
| surrcnderS to the hills.
Dill ever human king have a grandel
| throne, He stands on q knoll covered
| with rich, sweet grass, and even with the
naked eye you can see the violets and
buebells and forgct-me-nots peeping be-
| tween the Blades. 1t is u throne OF
wildfowers.
Ten miles away are dozen moving
black specks. They are buffaloes. Moth
ing else with life in il is nearer The
kings domains are rich in food and
drink. and the early morning sunshine
| tells of peace and harmony. He STANDS
with head elevated, and as he slowly
| turns in his tracks he shifts the air for
scent of danger. Who is our king? A
buffalo bull-nature's monarch of the
| grand prairie.
How came he here alone and deprived
| of companonShip? Men become cynics
and worldhaters and shake off ali at
| temptS at frendlinesS. SO with wild ami
| mails. This monarch is here TO pout and
sulH and feel aggrieved and plan for re-
| venge.
All High above him, with every foot
of ground under your eyes, you could see
| no danger. His keen scent warns him of
| peril, and wolf breaks cover not one
| hundred feet way in a manner to startlc
| you. He seems to rise from the very
| earth-not with a bound and a yell. but
| with quiet GOODNESS that BODIES evil.
The bull lowers his head and his eyes
| flash at the sight of the enemy who has
! come to disturb his reveries. Compare
| their size and strength. and you laugh al
| the idea of Il WOLF bringing harm to Il
! buffalo. One blow from a hoof-one toss
| from the horns, and the wolf would lie
! crushed and dead.
POOH 'TiS an enemy not worth a
second glance, The wolf may look with
longing eyes and lick his chops for taste
Of blood. but he is wasting time. In that
| grove to the left a bunch of cattle is
grazing. He hal best shamble across the
broken ground. give chase and hamstrng
| one or more of them.
| What, Another? AS the chickens rise
from cover so that second wolf suddenly
| shows himself above the grass. You can
not say that the beasts even suspect each
others presence. They are fifty feet
apart. and both sit and stare straight at
the monarch Of the plains. The bull gives
his head toss as he sights the second
arrival. Wolves hunt in pairs Here is
the pair, Nothing strange i'll that
Yes, rub your eyes to see if they are
clear, and you will find they haven't de
| ceived you. Up pops a thiTt'. fourth, fifth
and sixth woltsh head, followed by a
body which is ever gaunt and lean-evcr
the synonym of hunger. one wolf created
nothing beyond momentary surprise, the
pair bred It feeling of contempt the six
of them may bring peril.
And so the monarch evidently reasons.
He paws the ground, shakes his head,
and that low below expresses anxiety as
well as defiance. He could wheel and
rush away. and in an hour he could be
feeding with the herd. But there are
pride and obstinacy and jealousy to be
consulted. No deputation has come from
the herd to coax and reason with him,
and he will do battle for his life rather
than give in. it is both manlike and
brutelike.
What Have the six multiplied so fast?
Just a moment ago We saw only the half
dozen now there are ten-twelve-sixteen
they are rising from the earth all
around him, The bull turns as if on
| pivot Wolves to the north-the east
the south-the west. The circle is com
plete. Watch him.
When man must die in presence of
| his enemies let him die like a warrior
| The monarch knows what this gather
| ing means. He sees the .oling tongues
| There is no help for him. He must die
| like a craven or prove his courage.
See the head go up? Hear the roar of
! defiance Is there anything craven in
! that attitude?
/ The wolves have been sitting as quiet
AZ 50 many blocks Of stone placed on the
mn
SFtSs. h@t roar 81 delidhtc puts me
| INTO thth ana lhty move nearer.
| uflous pahtohiiht a grand oid bul-
i4lo turilhlS SIo"l! IouliN 1Hd touitu ~
! ms tracks 20 eye NAch VOL aha MdtcH
| every motIoh. "A score ahd d nan OF
! gaull" grim waiting oeastS' every eye
| hAeu upon a cpii.lhpil ceiitft every rang
| sharptned for feast.
wirl-rush.
ne circle closes IN al inc S!Sual, ana
Tor hltteh SECONDS the eye - confused
! III appears as II some one hidden IN the
S'dS9 "dN tpSS4iS ana MaNHHS SI4Ps oL
SIIN ana Wihte cIoth- ne IoatS 81 ltiF
| pu!I are Almost drowned III lile EeiPs ana
hoWlS OF the asSaiahtS.
COCO. mere Is game there' l. ne mon
/ aFCn mas uSed ms horhS ana h9oiS TO
Sb'H 500" PURPOSE 'iidt the thtit mas
! 'P''l'' away it'ii NM - = anu il"ih9
ailu SH"ulutiS nave neen "it'fh ana tettH
| nave Ht""H ppou; Wiiele puiltt "ouiQ