Rosebud County news. [volume] (Forsyth, Mont.) 1901-1906, 1903-08-27

ant valley not more than 200 Yards
wide, the bluff forming its boundary on
one side and a dense growth of timber
inclosing it on the farther border.
Scattered between the base of the
bluff and the edge of the woods in vari.
GUS listless poses or stumbling lazily
here and there We're fifteen enormous
silver tips After gazing at this amaz-
ing sight few minutes I was about
to try what the effect of rifle bullet
sent down among those bears would
have upon them when suddenly most
surprising change came over every il.
dividual in the group. Those that were
snoozlng IN the sun rose quickly to
their feet, and every bear stood in the
attitude Of intent listening, A few
seconds later heard the sound of pro-
longed wailing or baying, evidently
subdued by distance and borne from
the direction of the mountain beyond
the timber
1.-THE baying that had brought about
this remarkable change in the DISPOSE
tons Of the bears drew nearer. and
presently l could distinguish that it
was made up of fierce canine-like yelps
and vicious snarlings. These soon be.
came one wild wave of discordant and
blood curdling sound. A pack Of
wolves, ! Supposed, was dashing to.
wafd that valley, and the bears were
enraged at their disturbing Intrusion
on their retreat The silver tips massed
themselves near the base OF the bluff
and almost beneath me.
"From between the trees along the
timber border for distance of many
yards, and yelling and snarling and
swapping their jaws frightfully, swarm
ed horde of most ferocious looking
beasts. They were not wolves 1 knew
at once, although had never seen any
of the dreaded creatures, that here was
a pack of the fierce wild dogs Of the
Wind River mountains. There must
have been at least Il hundred in the
pack. The bristling, savage front Of
that array of silver tips would have
halted the fercest, hungriest pack Of
timber wolves or wolf dogs that ever
was and sent it in hasty retreat. But
these wild dogs rushed on without a
break in their ranks and threw them
selves upon that mass of silver tips,
and terrible conflict began. 1t was
a frightful sight. In less than min
ute the ground was strewn with bleed.
ing and mutilated bodies of wild dogs,
@l,> IA.
torn to pieces.
early in the battle the bears became
widely separated. Half a dozen dogs
would attack Il single bear, the places
of the dogs that fell victims to the fury
Of the silver tips being quickly filled by
others. think the combat must have
continued more than Il quarter of an
hour, and then every bear but one had
been killed. From their carcasses doz-
ems of ravenous wild dogs We're tearing
the flesh and gOrging themselves at the
feast they had won.
"The lone survivor of the group of
bears was an enormous brute. He had
backed himself against the face of the
bluff, and the dogs that still engaged
him could attack only from the front
His flesh hung in strips from his sides
and breast. and blood poured in streams
from wounds in his throat Yet he
fought those SwarminG dog demons for
fully five minutes after his last COM
paniOn had fallen. and all about him
the ground was heaped with the vic
tins of his dying rage. At last he tot
tered and swaycd. An immense wild
dog. with Il head and jaw of gigantic
size sprang clear over the ranks of his
fellows, who were struggling to get
their fanGS somewhere in the brave old
silver tip, and caught him full in the
ragged. bleeding wound in the throat.
The bear threw his fore legs around the
determined dog and drew them quickly
together. | could hear the dogs bones
but he did not loosen his jaws from the
bears throat even to give his death
yell. That was the silver tips last vic
tim. He fell like a topping tree to the
ground, with his death clasp around
the dog he had crushed and with the
dogs death grip at his throat.
1.-THE battle over, l counted forty-five
torn carcasses of wild dogs strewn over
the ground, which had been trampled
into a bed of blood stained mud"