Lawrence democrat. (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) 1884-1925, 1906-06-01
ANIMAL HEROES.
The Thrilling Story of SNAP the
Bull Terrier.

Ernest Thompson seton's last book.
Animal heroes Is, II possible, more than
ever up to the standard of his intensity In
teresting wild-animal tales To the animal
lover this new collection will be read with
absorbing attention. Mr. Seton has been
subjected to considerable criticism by other
naturalists, notably, John Burroughs, for
endOwing his animal characters with I'M
usual intelligence and powers, which, It is
claimed, are not possessed by any dumb
creatures. Very likely, as a class, but, as
Mr.. Seton himself admits In his preface TO
Animal Heroes, these histories, while ip
each case founded on the actual ife-dOings
of a real animal, are more or less composite
What novelist, indeed, does not combine
the most striking characteristics OF several
individuals to construct his human hero,
who shall appeal TO the reader as an ex-
ceptionally fine character1 So has Mr.. Sc
ton taken the record. Of a number Of wood
or other animals and embodied their most
striking kills or follings Of the pack into
one ssagacious, brave and gigantic specimen.
Like all of his books, Animal Heroes"
Is delightfully."- illustrated by some twO-hun-
dred drawings and sketches from his own
and his wife's pencils. Interest is stimu.
lated by a constant succession of marginal
drawings, literally interspersed with full
page paintings Of thrilling Incidents The
story of good-hunting, Of fierce pursuit, OF
fatal closing in-sometimes to the pursued
sometimes to the pursuer-is told by an
eyewitness welding a master pen In de-
plotting animal adventures, and at all
times runs through the story the love
which the writer bears for all animals-of
the proud, indomitable, fearless beast
even though he be the scourge of the
country, killer of cattle or sheep or even
dogs, Of which latter the author is pas
sionately fond, be they good ones.
Nothlng he discusses has ever been writ
ten which is better worth the reading. and
withal sadder in It's finale than is the ac-
count In this volume of the little dog,
"Snap." This "Snap" is a bull-terrier'
which was sent the anthor as sort of Hal
lowe'e jOke-he was so vicious and unap-
proachable. He kept Mr.. Seton. on the top
of the table most of the night, where he
smoked cigars until his pocket-supply ran
out ana then, shivered. However, he fin
ally made friends with his little pup-a
youngster absolutely without fear. A year
later, the two found themselves near Men
doza, North Dakota where the wolves had
been playing havoc with the livestock,
evading poison and traps and actually
scorning the attempts. Of the ranchers and
the wolvers to eXterminate them. The fol-
lowing is recital Of the hunt in which
Snap figured most gloriously:
From high point we caught sight Of a
moving speck OF gray. A moving white
speck stands for Antelope, a red speck for
Fox, gray speck for either Gray-wolf or
Coyote, and each of these is determined
by its tail. If the glass shows the tail
down, 1t is a Coyote; if up, it is the
hated Gray-wolf.
We got a momentary view of the pur-
suit; a Gray-wolf 1t surely was, Looping
away ahead of the Dogs. Somehow I
so fast as they had after the Coyote. But
no one knew the finish of the hunt. The
Dogs came back to us one by one, and we
saw no more of that Wolf.
Sarcastic remarks and recrimination were
now freely INDUCED in by the hunters.
"Pah! scairt plumb scalrt," was the
fathers disguised comment on the pack.
They could catch up easy enough, but
when he turned on them, they lighted
out for hOme-pahH'
Where's that thar onsurpassable, fear
less, scaire-o-nort Tarrier asked Hilton,
scornfully.
II don't know" said /. 'I am in
clined to think he never saw the wolf;
but II he ever does, I'll bet he sails in
for death or glory"
That night several Cows were killed.