The San Francisco call., 1909-12-04
T fFA\W|f N


pretty glade when Capers first called.
He had to thrash all five to get her. and
he did it, though he was all day about
it.
The bucks fought with lowered ant
lers. each pushing and twisting and
seeking to overthrow his adversary or
gain an opening to gore him. Capers
beat his rivals by sheer strength. push
ing them backward until they became
afraid they would trip and he would
get chance TO stick his sharp prongs
into their sides.
Thus CaperS won his bride and they
began their honeymoon Immediately.
He had to fight more than once again
to protect her, but in December the love
fever had died in the Canada woods and
the deer We're quiet again
Snow had come. but not heavily, and
before il fell there were several fires in
the woods. all from the south. so that
by Christmas the deer OF Capers' band
We're up near Lake Muskoka- After the
snow fell heavy they tramped a yard
and foraged for food through their ais
les in the snow, and it was hard work
often Capers heard more about wolves
than ever in his life during the moon
light nights as he stood and stamped on
the snow with the other bucks in the
yard
The winter was very mild one and
the snow began to melt early. so that
the deer scattered weeks before their
usual time.
Thus it happened late in March that
all the winter snow had gone. when
there came a week of intense cold on
the heels of almost summer warmth.
Lakes whose ice was ready TO go were
frozen over anew.
And thus in a strange land. with ma
ture acting as she had seldom acted in
his clans ken. Capers came to the end
or his. career, victim OF the ravagers of
the deer of the north. enemies his faith
ers had not known for many genera
tfons-
capers had wandered far from his
zoe and the rest of the clan one day
seeking the edge of the forest when
he found it he came upon a hillside
sweeping down to a broad lake. There
were already some tiny sprouts of
green in the open and Capers fell upon
them with delight. He did not know
that six OF the wolves he had heard so
much about but never had seen had
crossed his trail mile back and were
even then Iianning to surround and
sIay him.
He fed without warning of danger
till the wolves were almost upon him
Then scent he had never known. but
winch spelled death. he knew
struck his noStrils.
THE DEATH CHASE
He was on like a shot even then
recalling the advice of Canada's
mother, and shot straight down the
hillside
The wolves had sprung almost at the
same instant. and the whole pack set
on in full cry. Deer can outrlln wolves
but going oown hill. old hunters will
tell you, deer has not such an ad-
vantage CT speed that a wolf has on
level grounI
Thus went the chase. Capers fun of
deadly terror. knowing his peril but
recalling ali the good advice he ever
received IS he reached the half mile
of sloping meadow on the lakes shore
he remembered that ice was the deer's
speedway, and With new courage he
SpranE away.
The first half dozen bounds on the
new shore ice made Capers certain of
escape, but IS he sped out on the lake
misgiyings arose. The ice was not
thick. There was something wrong
InyOluntarily he checked his speed.
an1 az the sign the wolves tore on
with hungrier cries Capers' hoofs be-
gan to cut through, so that he almost
broke his legs several times as he
withdrew them to run on
Deer sense was too strong at last
and Capers knew that TO go only a
few feet further meant that he must
go through the ice He knew that he
must fight. that flight offered no es-
cape.
He turned 20 face his enemies and
with splendid courage took the often
sive at once. The wolves were punched
and close upon him as Capers leaped
at them antlers lowered but he
sprang and struck out with his fore
feet as he did so. Down into the
midst of them he came with a crash.
and down from underneath all OF them
went great square of ice. In an in
stant they were struggling in the
water. the wolves savagely swapping
at Capers' throat. be bravely beating
at them with his knifelike forefeet.
Again and again those hOofs ripped
his enemies. but the biggest of them
got to his throat at last. and soon he