Los Angeles herald., 1907-02-10
Copyright by James Elverson.l

r~7TIE two Raymond boys, Otho and
Edgar, are twin sons of an old
friend of mine, who occupies a
laggEsNi ranch about forty miles from Santa
- Barbara. California, and close un-
der the shadow of the towering
green covered, coast mountains.
When only twelve years old, they had learn
ed to ride at breakneck speed, like veritabe
cowboys, As the ranch, however, was not
a large one, their duties were never severe,
and they had all the leisure they required.
Mr.. Raymond had one horse which was but
seldom mounted, as there were enough 9th
ers for all ordinary purposes. This was
magnificent animal named Pontiac. When
led out from his stall for exercise, or turned
loose for awhile in pasture, he was always
an object of admiration, even to those who
saw him every day.
Sixteen hands high, and coal black, with
coat of satin, he presented the very ideal of
equine beauty, though, at the same time,
there was sort of tierceness in his appear
ance which rendered him almost terrible.
His loud, eager neigh, as he stepped into
the open sunlight, was startling to weak
nerves. Rearing to the length of his halter,
he would paw the air above the heads of his
young keepers, till their mother, rushing out
in alarm, would call to them to be more care
full
Il tremble every time the boys handle that
horse" she would say, 'he Is so large and
strong, and they are so reckless. | would al
most as soon try to manage tiger
Yet Pontiac was never known to injure
any one, and when his antics were over he
would permit the lads to caress him to their
hearts content. They believed that he recog-
nized the hands which fed him, and that, big
and powerful as he was, he would never harm
them unless by accident.
Affection begets affection; and this truth
they felt instinctively, although they may not
have put it into Just those words.
Being near the mountains, the ranch suf-
fered at times from the depredations of
wolves and wildcats, which, in spite of every
precaution, would now and then destroy a
calf or make havoc with the sheep. But
the marauders were so shy as to be rarely
seen, nor had Mr. Raymond or the boys as
yet succeeded in killing any of them.>
One day, while Pontiac was loose in his
pasture, the lads, in crossing it, made a dis
covery which surprised them very much
In an angle of long ledge they found an
enormous wolf lying dead, with hardly a
whole bone in her body, and with the marks
of strong, fierce teeth imprinted in her mat
ted hair from head to tail.
horses hoofs. which had pounded and torn
the earth in a manner really frightfu while
at some distance lay calf, newly killed and
not far from it wolf cub, also dead.
They could see that, while the cub had been
savagcly trampled upon, there was not a sin
gle hoof-mark about the calf
After a few minutes, Pontiac came trottinl
briskly up to them, snorting in his wild, fierce
way and with his fetlocks showing deep
stains of dust and blood. Of course, there
could be no doubt that he had killed the two
wolves, and the boys were in ecstasies at the
thought OF 1T.
Over and over they told each other how il
must have been. He had come up with the
cub first, and killed it instantly; then, bound