Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-06-14
THE GRIZZLY KING
By JAMES OLIVER CURWOoD
The Author of "Kazan"

all happened in half minute. and in that
half minute the remaining nine dogs had
scattered
But Langdon's Airedales were fighters
To the last dog they had come Of fighting
stock. and Bruce and Metoosin had trained
them until they could be hung up by their
ears without whimperlng, The tragic fate
Of three Of their number frightened them
no more than their own pursuit had fright
ened Thor.
Swift as lightning they clrcled about the
grizzly, spreading themselves on their fore
feet, ready to spring aside or backward TO
avoid sudden rushes, and giving voice now
to that quick, fierce yapping which tells
hunters their quarry is at bay. This was
their business-tO harass and torment, TO
retard flight TO stop their prey again and
again until their masters came to finish the
kill. II was quite fair and thrilling sport
for the bear and the dogs The man who
comes up with rife ends 1t in murder.
But IL the dogs had their tricks, Thor also
had his, After three or four vain rushes,
In which the Airedales eluded him by their
superior quickness, he backed slowly toward
the huge rock beside which Muskwa was
crouching. and as he retreated the dogs
advanced
Their increased barking and Thor's EVIL
dent inability to drive them away or tear
them to pieces terrified Muskwa more than
ever. Suddenly he turned tail and darted
into crevlce in the rock behind him.
Thor continued TO back until his great
hips touched the stone. Then he swung his
head sidewise and looked for the cub Not
a hair Of MuslSwa was to be seem Twice
Thor turned his head After that seeing
that Muskwa was gone, he continued to re-
treat until he blocked the narrow passage
that was his back door TO safety
The dogs were now barking like mad.
NhnxF NJ hat
wiry crests stood up like brushes. and their
snarling fangs were barred TO their red gums.
Nearer and nearer they came to him,
challenging him to stay TO rush them, to
catch them II he could-and In their excite
ment they put ten yards OF open space be-
hind them. Thor measured this space, as he
had measured the distance between him and
the young bull caribou few days before.
And then, without so much as snarl or
warning he darted out upon his enemies
with q suddenness that sent them flying
wildly for their lives.
Thor did not stop He kept on. Where
the rock wall bulged out the trail narrowed
to five feet, and he had measured this fact
as well as the distance. He caught the last
dog and drove It down under his paw. As
Il was torn 10 pieces the Airedale emitted
piercing cries OF agony that reached Bruce
and Langdon as they hurried painting and
wlnd-broken up the slide that led from the
basin.
Thor dropped on his belly in the narrowed
trail and as the pack broke loose with
fresh voice he continued TO tear at his
victim until the rock was smeared with
blood and hair and entrails. Then he rose
to his feet and looked again for Muskwa.
The cub was curled up in a shivering ball
two feet in the crevice II may be that Thor
thought he had gone on up the mountain,
for he lost no time now in retreating from
the scene of battle, He had caught the wind
again Bruce and Langdon were sweating,
and their smell came 10 him strongly
For ten minutes Thor paid no attention
to the eight dogs yapping at his heels. ex-
cept to pause now and then and swing his
head about As he continued in his retreat
the Airedales became bolder, until finally
one of them sprang ahead of the rest and
buried his fangs in the grizzly's leg
This accomplished what barking had
failed 10 do. With another roar Thor
turned and pursued the pack headlong for
fifty yards over the black trail, and five
precious minutes we're lost before he con-
tinued upward toward the shoulder Of the
mountain.
Had the wind been in another direction
the pack would have triumphed but each
time that Langdon and Bruce gained ground
the wind warned Thor by bringing TO him
the warm odor OF their bodies. And the
grizzly was careful TO keep that wind from
the right quarter He could have gained
the TOP OF the mountain more easily and
quickly by quartering the face OF II on a
back trail, but this would have thrown the
wind too far under him. AS long as he held
the wind he was safe, unless the hunters
OF escape by detouring and cutting him on
II took him half an hour 10 reach the
topmost ridge OF rock from which point he
would have TO break cover and reveal him