The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1907-09-18


came up beside me snarling. l turned
and kicked at it again, and 1t jumped
30 far that it slipped of the platform
and fell among the wolves. Before it
touched the ground the wolves leaped
at it. and in a moment it was torn to
bits. l shuddered as l thought what
a mans fate would be IL he were at
the mercy of that bowling horde"
1.-THE gate at the lower end Of the
stockade does not open directly into
the main yard, but into a smaller pen,
connected with the larger one by a
gate somewhat similar to the n at
the river end Of the ravine, only
smaller.
Natural Home For Varmints.
1.-THE rocks and brush in the ravine
furnish an excellent retreat for the
| wolves, and in the umerou gloomy
dens In the ledge hundreds Of young
wolves have first seen the light of day.
but l don't depend altogether on
raising wolves said the girl. That's
too SLOW
'Then, with the enthusiasm that a
young society bud would display in de-
scribing her first ball dress, she told
how she led into the stockade large
packs of the most cowardly, yet most
daring and Disqualification hungry
denizens Of the pine woods-the hell
dogs Of the north.
1.-THE end Of the ravine farthest from
the river opens into a big tamarack
swamp. so dark and thick as to be al
most impenetrable, and Is an excellen,
stronghold for wolves. This fact has
shrewdly been taken advantage of by
the wolf queen who two or three
times a year throws out a big dragne
and captures lots of the animals.
Her method is to make a tour of tin
swamp. dragging behind her on tn
snow or pine needles the carcass of
newly killed deer, now and then leav
ing a piece Of the meat. She carrie
this trail into the first pen of tn
stOckade.
''The trap is set by opening the gat
leading into the swamp. The carcas
Of the deer is the bait. Then the vol
queen conceals herself t. await tn
coming of the pack.
Strike the Trail.
"'When the wolves strike the tral
and get thu scent Of the fresh meat
the girl said. they follow it directl
into the outer pen, for they never hav
been known to leave the trail unit
they have overtaken, pulled down an
torn to pieces the animal they ar
after or until they have been shot an
killed.
ION the ledge, holding the ropes col
! trolling the gate, the girl watches.
: "The long drawn, mournful howl Al
nounces the start, and soon the pack
in full cry, tearing through the under
brush, their blood thirst aroused I
the highest pitch.
Nearer and nearer they come, ant
crowding and swapping at each othe
they press through the gate. A pu
at the rope releases the gate, shuttin
in the wolves.
II don't know what hades, file
with maddened animals, would loo
like, but l do know that the seer
J. when a pack Of timber wolves
trapped by this girl must be the sigl
Of a lifetime and one we'll calculate
r to strike terror to the heart Of tt
strongest man, let alone a young ha
( blood Indian girl.
t Her method Of slaughtering tt
t wolves when she wishes to market Il
t skins IS effective. safe and possibly
q humane as any that could be devise
9 twenty-five OF thirty animals a.
= lured into the smaller pen from It
. main stockude and the gate closed.
Miss Gissler takes her position {
the ledge and with her rifle picks @
h the animals one by Il until all ha'
been killed. one bullet for each We
n is all she needs. The wolves are ski
y ned and the carcasses used as food +
the rest of the captiveS.
4 "The skins are allowed IL fre"2
after which they are tied in big In
p dies ready To he taken u Fort Fra
els, on the Canadian side Of III" rive