El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-09-18
By F. ST. MARS,

HERE was a sound, a really ap-
palling sound, and a quite in
- describable one-part moan, part
howl, part zap, part wall 1t echoed
through the dense rhododendron thick
cts that filled the spaces between the
huge holes of the giant pine trees that
shot $50 feet into the air; across the
desolate, icy cold glaciers 1t echoed;
I'D and down the awful 1000 foot
slopes. and still more terrible 1000 foot
precipices; up and up to where the fir
woods ceased and the region of ever
lasting snow began; up and up to the
towering, flashing, sparkling peaks
where nothing lived, not even the
eagles. 1t was an awe-1nspiring cry
in an awe-inspiring land; for the land
was Mysterious Tibet, and the cry was
the hunting music" of one of the big
gest dogs in all the wOrld-far larger
than the wolf-the dreaded wild dog
of Tibet.
Suddenly from a dense gray black
stretch of rhododendron, under a for
est of pine trees, swept, bounding for
ward on exceedingly long legs, just like
a great rubber ball, a muskdeer. He
took to the heights in terror. He was
at home there
After him. almost instantly, running
fast and skulkingly low, a beautiful
bird darted across the open. 1t was
no more than vision of green, and
bronze, and white, and scarlet-an am
herst pheasant. Then, hard on the
heels of the pheasant. picking his way
silently through the thick, dripping
cover and the eyerlas tingly drifting,
misty sleet of that land. mighty Thor
ODDS deer. a stag as high as a steer.
But not for him had that moaning
sound any fear. He knew that in
stinctively, but 1 don't know how he
knew it Nor for the great parti-col-
ored bear-he whip looked as if he was
wearing gray harness-who slouched
out of the thicket Il moment later. and
made up the slope slowly, grumbling
to himself the while.
Then. suddenly. speeding along light
ly and with magnificent grace, came
a great, lOng-furred. gray ounce. or
snow leopard. She rocked neither to
the one side nor the other, but kept
straight on I'D the slope She was
holding a young muskdeer in her jaws,
and would not drop II. That was the
rub. The dreaded wild dogs were fol-
lowing the blood trail. Perhaps they
knew that she had her cubs some
like TO get them out. That may we'll
have been.
Anyway. she passed. and five min
utes later, with a rush and a patter,
with tails up and heads down, all close
together. racing along like a cloud
came the great dark fawn and gray
and brindle wild dogs of Tibet. There
were Il in the pack, led by a bristling.
shaggy old ruffian. who looked as if
he could easily have eaven any dog
living.
They hunted the snow leopard up
the slope. and along the edge of a prec-
ipice. Still she held on to her prey.
Then down to the woods again, where
they came in sight of her long tail as
she bounded along with great leaps
She had shot her bolt. being. like all
cats, capable of great speed for a very
short time.
Instantly there was chorus OF yells
ard bowls from the dogs. and with one
accord they raced for her. But she
must have known what she was doing.
that ounce. for even as the dogs sight
ed her, she vanished with one spring
into a narrow cave entrance between
some so ton boulders.
The old leader of the dogs was up
first, and so close was he onto her
that he shot straight in behind her
being unable to stop owing to the rush
of his followers behind Then, in there.
somewhere in the cramped darkness,
the ounce turned at bay. What fol-
then I scarcely know. There were ap-
palling sounds of subterranean war
fare-of yells from the front rank wild
dogs anxious to get out and of snarls
from the hind rank ones lusting to
get in.
From time to time a wild dog came
out. looking the worse for wear. From
time TO time, too. the ounce charged
IN the narrow way WITHIN, ana drove
them all back At last the whole pack
came forth. and one by one retreated,
trottinS off at intervals on each 9TH
ers' tracks-aN save one. He was the
old leader. and he could not come out
because the ounce had him in a cor
ner. She was minded to make a meal
of him. for her cubs way back in the
depths of the cave, I think. He. on
the other hand, was minded to live-if
he could.
They faced each other-giant dog
and giant cat