Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-11-11
BY
THEODORE ROOSEVELT

ahead Of us. In little glade. hun
dred and twenty-five yards from u.s.
two bull elk were engaged In deadly
combat while two others were looking
on. 1t was splendid sight The great
| beasts faced each other with lowered
horns, the names that covered their
thick necks, and the hair on their shoul
ders. bristling and erect. Then the
charged fnriously. the crash of tn,
meeting antlers resounding through til
valley. The shock threw them boz.
on their launches; with locked horn
and glaring eyes they strove agains
each other. getting their hind legs we
under them, straining every muscle !
their huge bodies. and squealing say
agely. They were evenly matched L.
weight, strength and courage; anG
push as they might, neither got the
upper hand, frst one yielding few
inches, then the other, while they
swayed to ami fro in their struggles
smashing the bushes and ploughing
up the soil.
Finally they separated and stood
some little distance apart, under the
great pines; their sides heaving, and
columns of sceams rising from their
nostrils through the frosty air of the
Frightening morning. Again they
rushed together with crash, and each
strove nightly to overthrow the other,
For get past his guard; but the branch
ing antlers caught every vicious lungc
and thrust. This set-to was stopped
rather curiously. One Of the unlocking
elk was a ye,arling; the other, though
scarcely as heayy-bodied us either of
the fighters, had finer head. He was
evidently much excited by the battle.
| and he now began to walk towards the
two combatants. nodding his head and
uttering queer. whistling noise. They
dared not leave their tanks uncovered
! to his assault; and as he approached
they promptly separated, and walked
off side by side few yards apart. I'M
moment, however, one spun round and
| jumped at his old adversary, seeking
to stab him in his unprotected flank:
| but the latter was just as quick, and as
before caught the rush on his horns.
| They closed as .furiously as ever; but
the utmost either could do was to, In
| fiict one or two punches on the neck
| and shoulders Of his foe. where the
thick hide served as shield. Again
| the peace-n1aker approached, nodding
his head, whistling, and threatening;
and again they separated.
/ raronfoI Onoo nr ftviros md
| I began to be afraid lest the breeze
which was very light and puffy should
shift and give them my wind. So,
resting my rifle on my knee, l fred
twice, putting one bullet behind the
shoulder or the peace-maker, and the
other behind the shoulder of one of the
combatants. Both were deadly shots,
but, as so often with wapiti, neither Of
the wounded animals at the moment
showed any signs Of being hit. The
yearling ran off unscathed. The other
three crowded together and trotted be
hind some spruce on the left, while we
ran forward for another shot. In a
moment enc fell; whereupon the re
naming two turned and came back
across the glade. trotting to the right.
AS we opened fire they broke into
numbering gallop, but were both
downed before they got out Of sight in
the timber.
The wapiti is, next to the moose, the
most quarrelsome and pugnacious OF
! American deer. 1t cannot be said that
| it is ordinarily a dangerous beast to
hunt; yet there are instances in which
wounded wapiti. incautiously approach
ed to within striking distance, have Sc
verely misused their ,assailants, both
with their antlers and their forefeet.
However, the fercest wapiti bull,
when in wild state, fees the neigh
borhood -of man with the same panic
terror shown by the cows; and he
makes nc stand against grisly, though
when his horns are grown he has little
fear Of either wolf or cougar If on his
guard and attacked fairly. The chief
battles of the bulls are Of course waged
with one another. Before the begin
ming of the rut they keep by them
selves: singly, while the sprouting
horns are still very young, at which
time they lie in secluded spots and
move about as little as possible; in
large bands, later in the season. At
the beginning of the fall these bands
Join with one another and with the
bands Of cows and calves, which have
likewise been keeping to themselves
during the late winter, the spring, and
the summer. Vast herdE are thus
sometimes formed, containing, in the
old days when wapiti were plenty.
thousands of head. The bulls now be-
gin to fight furiously with one another.
and the great herd becomes split into
smaller ones Each Of these has one
master bull, who has won his position
by savage battle. and keeps 1t by over
coming every rival whether solitary