Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-06-06
THE GRIZZLY KING
By JAMES OLIVER CURWOOD
The Author of "Kazan"

His huge right arm swung over the two
year-olds shoulder, and as they went down
MS left paw gripped the caribous muZZe
like huge human hand. Thor fell under
as he always planned to fall He did not
mug his victim to death Just once he dou-
bled up one of his hind legs and when il
went back the five knives it carried dis
emboweled the caribou They not only dis
emboweled him, but twisted and broke his
ribs as though they were of wood Then
Thor got up, looked around and shook him
self with a rumbling growl, which might
have been either Erowl Of triumph or an
invitation for Musllwa TO come to the feast
If II was an invitation, the little tan
faced cub did not wait for a second. For
the first time he smelled and tasted the
warm blood Of meat And this smell and
taste had come at the psychological mo-
ment in his life. just as 1t had come In
Thor's life years before All grizzlies are
not killers Of biz game. In fact very few
of them are. Most of them are chiefly
regetarlans, with meat diet of smaller
ANIMALS. such as gophers, whistling mar
mots and porcupines. Now and then chance
makes or a grizzly hunter of caribou,
goat sheep deer and even moose. Sucb
was Thor And such in days IN come
would Muskwa be- even though he was a
oiack and not of the family Ursus Hor-
ribilis ord
for an hour the two feasted. not In the
raVenous way Of hungry dogs. but in the
Sow ana satisfying manner of gourmets
iushWa, nat on his little paunch and al
most between Thors huge forearns Ianned
up the blood and snared like a kitten as bo
ground tender flesh between his tinv teeth
lhof' as IN all his food-seekIng hunted
nrSt Tor the tid-bits, though the sanoos
uoWIh had made him as empty as a room,
MI'nout furniture He pulled out the thin
leais OF fat from about the kidneys and
bowels and munched at yard-long strines
OF 1t, his eyes half closed
The last Of the sun faded away from, the
mountains, and darkness followed swiftIv
atter the twilight II was dark when tboy,
nhlshed and little Mus<wa was as wide as
he was long '' "S
Ihor was the greatest of natures con-
serNttors. With him nothing went =,
waste that was good 10 eat ord at ~, W
present moment if the old buII coriba,,
had deliberately walked within bis raaL
lhor IN all probability would NOT bayo
killed MN. He had food. and his business
was 10 store that food where it would be
He went back to the baIsam tbio,,ot h,,,
the Sorgcd cub now made no EFFORT to 90
10" nm lie was vastly contained ana
Soihethlhg told him that Thor would moi
ieaNe the meat Ten minutes later Thor
,,,,.a u,.a'eu nus judgment by returning In his
huge Jaws he caught the carihoI, a. ,hs
PACK or the neck. Then he SWING bin,so,S
parity SideWise and began draFging ,ba
LdIcass toward the timber as dog Tn,ebt
nave dragged ten-pound slab Of bacon
Inc young bull probably weighed Ann
pounds HAD he weighed 500 or even n
~ ~p!ouSanu ihor would still have dragged
hlm--Dut mad the carcass weighed I6ot
much he would have turned straIgbt ar1,,,oS v,,aS
and backed with his load "'ouiu
In the edge of the balsams Thor bo5
ALREADY y found hollow in the ground. He
umIus' f the carcass into this hollow. and
while Muskwa watched with greot - -
growing interest, he proceeded 10 covsr a.
over with dry needles, sticks. n rottipo -
butt and a log. He did not rear bG,,.ois ~
up ana leave his mark" on a tree as a
warning To other bears, He simply nosed
timber "' VI 'he
Muskwa followed him now. and be boa
some trouble In properly navigating hirnseIF
under the handicap Of his added veigbt
the stars were beginning TO hII the skv
and under these stars Thor struck s,rotaSS1,
up steep and rugged slope thar led 90
lhe mountainous. Up and up he went
higher than Muskwa had ever been They
crossed a patch of snow And then tbey
came to place where II seemed as n a
volcano had disrupted the bowels NJ a
mountain. Man could hardly have travelled
where Thor led AIuskwa
Al last he stopped He was on a narrovv
ledge, with a perpendicular wall of rock at
ms back' Under him fell away the chaos
OF torn'up rock and shale Far below The
valley lay black and bottomless nil
Thor lay down, and for the first time
since his hurt in the other valley he
stretched out his head between his vrsat
arms and heaved a deep and restful sieb
Muskwa crept up close TO him, so close
that he was warmed by Thor's bodv. ana
together they slept the deep and peaceful
sleep Of fun stomachs, while over them ne
stars grew brighter, and the moon came up
to flood the peaks and the valley in
golden snlandOr