El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-07-26
Monarch OF the Rockies
By F. st. Mars.

TT HAS been said that the wapiti is
the largest of the red deer tribe in
- the world. You had better look at
the specimens in the Zoo, and see what
you think about it, though. They are
certainly very big, and their horns are
huge in proportion. Wild ones are
oIten even bigger. This wild one Of
which 1 write was. He weighed close
on half a ton, and his vast horns
spread out like the branches of a tree.
He was feeding along the pine
patched slope of the mountainside, not
leading his herd, as a master stag
should, but following on behind-let-
ting the others face the danger.
The herd was p strong, mostly
binds (femaleS), but comprising, to-,
three or four stays, who hung about
on the flanks of the party-With them
indeed. but hardly of them. The chief
concern Of these gentry was tS avoid
the lord of the herd for he was q
very Jealous and bad tempered lord.
They lad just come through the "di-
vide from the other side of tie mCua-
tain. because the master stag had there
suddenly given 4 plunge as if a bullet
had -strJck him. This was not so real
~, but he had crossed the fresh trail
Of man. and the shock of il caused
the plunge. They were ten miles away
fr"nt that. place now, feeding peace
fully among the great, still ranked
pines in deep silence-the silence that
comes with light fall OF snow.
II he had known anything at all.
that lordly stag would have kept away
from that place forever, for the pines
were mostly nut pines. and there is
saying among the red indians in those
parts which means Nut pines ana
grizzlies go together" And this must
have been true, because suddenly, IN
the oppressive silence of the mountain
forest, = twig snapped-snapped like q
pistol shot.
The effect upon the deer was strange.
1t was just as if they had all instant
ly been transformed into statues
very beautiful statues. too Our stag
stood with his magnificent head erect
-bloodshot, full, almost fierce eyes
staring hard into the shadows be-
meath the trees. Nothing therei
He tested the wind, then blowing
full in his face, with his large, keen
nostrils- Nothing there!
In fact ne never knew never
guessed for one moment of the hidden
death that had been logging his trail
for hours; never even suspected the
great grim shadow that had slipped
noiselessly from pine trunk to pine
trunk, ct bramble to bramble. when he
had NOV forward or when he had
lowered his head to feed, but which
lay as still as a dead log when the
stag mad lifted his head to gaze about,
WLicn he had done every minute or so.
The sudden frantic, terrified snort
of a young hind about 80 PAGES in
front OF him was the first the stag
knew of the danger That was fol-
lowed by an almost simultaneous
spring by the whole herd, in which
he, too, Joined; but even as he did So
he was aware of great shape rear
ing up suddenly at his very side He
sprang, therefore, to one side, and
realized in a flash that there was no
time for second bound. An enormous
grizzly bear was practically upon him.
Swiftly he dropped his horns, but
he was too late. He could not get
them quite low enough in time
Wh-r-r-r-rr! came the great brown
bears paw, with its six-inch claws, in
fearful raking, "round-arm" stroke,
and struck the horns on the side in
stead of on the point The grand
stag reeled at the terrific impact of
the blow, his head being forced round
in spite of the enormous muscles OF