River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1901-07-11

back beside the rushing OF the river
| there was famine. The she wolf
heavy and near her time, lay agoniz-
ing in the darkest corner of the cave
licking in grim silence the raw stump
of her right foreleg. Caught in a
steel trap, she had gnawed off her
own paw as the price OF freedom.
1 She could not hunt: and the hunting
was bad that winter in the forests by
( the blue and white wall. The wapiti
deer had migrated to safer ranges,
and her gray mate, hunting alone,
was hard put to it to keep starvation
from the cave.
The gray wolf trotted briskly down
the broken face of the plaster rock,
in the fun glare of the moon, and
stood for a moment to sniff the air
that came blowing lightly, but keen
", over the stiff tops of the forest.
The wind was clean. 1t gave him no
tidings of quarry. Descending hur-
riedly the last 50 yards of the slope,
he plunged into the darkness of the
frwoods. Soft as was the snow in
those quiet recesses, it was yet suffi-
GENTLY packed to support him as he
trotted, noiseless and alert, on the
broadspreading pads of his paws.
Furtive and fierce he slipped through
the shadow like a ghost. Across the
open glades he feeted more swiftly,
bright and sinister shape, his head
swinging a little from side to side,
every sense upon the watch. His di-
rcction was pretty steadily TO the
west of north.
He had travelled long, till the direc-
ton of the moon shadows had taken
a different angle to his path, when
suddenly there came scent upon the
wind. He stopped, one foot up, ar
rested in his stride The gray, cloudy
brush of his tail stiffened out. His
uostrils, held high to catch every watt
of the new scent, dilated; and the
edges of his upper lip came down over
the white fangs, from which they had
been snarlingly withdrawn. His pause
was but for breath or two Yes,
there was no installing it. The scent
was moose-very far off, but moose,
without question. He darted forward
at a gallop, but with his muzzle still
held high, following that scent up the
wind.
Presently he struck the trail of the
herd. An instant's scrutiny told his
trained sense that there were calves
and young cows, one or another of
which he might hope to stampede by
his cunning. The same instant's
scrutiny revealed to him that the
herd had passed nearly an hour ahead
of him. Up went the gray cloud of
his tail and down went his nose; and
then he Strengthened himself to his
top speed, compared to which the
pace wherewith he had followed the
scent up the wind was a mere casual
sauntering.
When he emerged upon the open
plateau and reached the spot where
the herd had scattered to browse, he
slackened his pace and went warily,
peering from side to side. The COW
moose, lying down il the bushes to
fondle her imprisoned young, was hid
den from his sight for the moment;
and so it CHANGED that before he dis
covered her he came between her and
the wind. That scent-it was the
faint of death to her. II went
through her frame like an electric
shock. With a snort of fear and fury
she heaved to her feet and stood,
wide-eyed and with lowered brow,
facing the menace.
The wolf heard that snorting chal-
lenge, and saw tn. awkward bulk of
her shoulders as abe rose above the
scrub. His jaws wrinkled back tight
ly, barring the full length of his keen
white fangs, and greenish phosphor-
escent film seemed to pass suddenly
across his narrow eyeballs. But he
did not spring at once to the attack
He was surprised. Moreover, he in
ferred the calf, from the presence of
the COW apart from the rest of the
herd, And a full-grown COW moose,
with the mother fury in her heart,
he knew 10 be a dangerous adversary.
Though she was hornless, he knew the
force of her battering front, the swift,
sharp stroke of her hoof, the dauntless
intrepidity of her courage. Further.
though his own courage and the avid
urge of his hunger might have led him
under other circumstances to attack
forthwith. tonight he knew that he
must take no chances. The cave in
the blue and white rocks was depend
ing on his success. His mate, wound
ed and heavy with young-if he let
himself get disabled in this hunting
she must perish miserably. With
prudent tactics, therefore, he circled
at a safe distance around the hidden
pit; and around its rim circled the
wary mother, presenting to him
ceaseleSSly the defiance of her huge
and sullen front. BY this means he
easily concluded that the calf was a
prisoner in the pit. This being the
case he knew that with patience and
his experienced craft the game was
safely his lie drew off some half
dozen PAGES, and sat upon his
launches contemplatively to weigh
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