Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1899-07-26
"a BATTLE ROYAL.
1t Took Place Between Five Texas
: : 20. Steers md Seven Wolves.

1t Took Place Between Five Texas
Steers and Seven Wolves.
ga friend of mine who had cattle
ranch at Shively- Springs, about q
hundred miles north Of Yankton, N.
Dr. writes a correspondent Of the
sun, "saw battle royal between five
Texas steers and seven wolves. 1t was
/ in February, just after blizzard, and
there was two feet Of snow on the
ground on level. With the steers
were two cows and three yearlings.
They,lhad been running south before
the storm, and coming to little knoll
blown bare by the wind, had all lain
down to rest. They were so still that
the ranchman had to ride near them to
satisfy himself that they were not
dead. Finding that none of his own
stock was in the bunch, he rode away
He had gone a mile, when, looking
back, he saw seven gray wolves that
had come out of the head Of the can
on near by and were making toward
the cattle. With his field glass he could
get an excellent view Of the wolves
and follow closely all their movements
They were. having q hard time 10
make their way througs the snow,
sinking in it to their beff1es at every
Jump, but they kept on until they
were within a few yards of the bare
spot where the cattle were lying, wnen
they all drew together and made sur
yeyof the field, then started on, widen
ing out into line as they did so. Up to
this time none Of the cattle had moved,
butnow one of the cows and a steer rose
to their feet and faced the wolves,
shaking their horns, and some of the
others. were getting up as the wolves
struck the bare spot.
& nThree Of the wolves jumped In
front of the steer and the cow, feint,
ins to attack them and so keeping
their attention engaged, while tho
/, other four sprang upon one Of the year:
lings just getting to It's feet, and pulled
II down! The ranchman. could see the
four wolves together upon the year
ling. and then the rest of the cattle
coming all to their feet shut them from
his view. The cattle were stiff and
.slow in their movements, but the fouf
steers.-at once closed in on the four
wolves, about the yearling and drove
them from their prey. The evolves
had no trouble in getting away from
the horns, and instead Of quitting tho
field, they kept to the bare spot-it
was about. half an acre in e1tent-rae-
ingiround the cattle and feintlng to at
tack them on every side, but racing
away whenever a steer made for them
in ehrnest. While four of them kept tho
attention of the other cattle, three OF
the wolves, coming together as If al
a signal, leaped upon another of the
yeaflings, one seizing it by the throat
and the other two tearing at Its gam
Drills. The yearling went down under
the wolves, and then two or three OF
the steers, charging as before, drove
them off.
"The aim Of the wolves plainly Was
to disable the two weaker animals.
knowing that they would eventually
fall 10 them when the others moved
away. But the cattle were getting
warmed to their, work, and after five
minutes of fighting there was little
of the stiffness that they had at first
displayed. The wolves, keeping still
to the bare spot where there wns
clear running, had all they wanted te
do toIavoid the rushes of the steers.
who charged whenever one of them
came to u, standstill. Then one Of the
wolves was driven out into the snow.
and as he foundered in a circuit, try
ing. tolget back to bare ground, long.
legged Texan, minding the snow nc
more than If it had been feathers,
rushed and overlook him, AID in a mo.
ment more had the wolf on his horns,
One shake Of the head and the wolf
went flying twenty feet and the steer
was, on hand when he tumbled to-
gore and trample him to death. This
set the pace for fighting, and in ten
| minItes more four Of the wolves were
dead, two Of them being chased into
the snow and killed as the first had
been and the other being hemmed in
among the cattle, where he went three
or four times into the air clear of their
heads before they quit tossing him. AT
this the other three wolves took TO
thesnow and made the best pace they
could for the canon. A white steer
thai already had done Its full share of
thefghting, charged after them, tossed
one Of them to one side, and, keeping
on to the next one, gored him to death.
The third one had so much, of start
that the steer did not follow him, but
came back to the herd.
at was two days later before the
ranehman could. take time to come
back to the scene of the fight. One of
the yearlings was lying dead on the
spot of bare ground; the rest of the
cattle were gone. There were five dead
wolves in sight and sixth was found
Just within the canon, which was rs
far as he managed to crawl. The pack
were practically wiped .out-taken; so
to speak, in their own trap"
Ei...; /. The Trunk Umbrella. :
The trunk umbl ella, as its name
would imply, is an idea brought out
byfsome simple minded philanthropist.