Middletown transcript., 1921-01-22
CHAPTER I-continued.

marshes, and it has come to me that
he's going to start tomorrow, or maybe
has already started today, down into
the valley to give his evidence. OF
course, that is deeply confidential be.
tween you and me. If the gang knew
about it. he'd never get through the
thickets alive"
But Dan was hardly listening. His
attention was caught by the hushed
intermittent sounds that are always to
be heard, if one listens keenly enough
in the wilderness ut night. Il wish
the pack would sound again" he said
'T suppose it was hunting"
"Of course. And there is no living
thing in these woods that can stand
against wolf pack in its full
strength
Except man. of course."s
"A strong man, with an accurate
rifle, of course, and except possibly
in the starving times in winter he'd
never have to fight them. All the
beasts of prey are out tonight. You
see, Dan, when the moon shines. the
deer feed at night instead of in the
twiiights and the dawn. And OF
course the wolves and the cougars
hunt the deer. It may be that they
are running cattle, or even sheep"
But Dams imagination was afire'
He wasn't content yet. "They couldn't
be-hunting man?" he asked.
"No. If it was midwinter and the
pack was starving, we'd have to lis
ten better. It always looked to me as
II the wild creatures had law
against killing men. just as humans
have. They've learned it doesn't pay
something the wolves and bears OF
Europe and Asia haven't found out
The naturalists say that the reason is
rather simple-that the European
peasant his soul scared out of him by
the government he lived under, has
always fed from wild beasts. They
were tillers of the soil, and they car.
ried hoes instead of guns. They never
put the fear Of God into the animals
and as a result there are quite num-
ber of true stories about tigers and
wolves that aren't pleasant to listen
to. But our, own frOntiersmen were
not men to stand any nonsense from
wolves or cougars. They had guns
and they knew how to use them. And
they were preceded by as brave and
as warlike race as ever lived on the
earth-armed with bows and arrows
Any animal that hunted men was i'm.
mediately killed. and the rest found
out it didn't pay.
"Just as human beings have found
out the same thing-that it doesn't
pay to hunt their fellow men. The
laws of life as well as the laws of ma.
tions are against it."
But the words sounded weak and
dim under the weight Of the throbbine
darkness; and Dan couldn't get away
from the idea that the codes of life by
which most men lived were forgotten
quickly in the shadows of the pines
Even as he spoke. man was hunting
man on the distant ridge where Wits
perfoot the cougar had howled.
Bert Cranston, head Of the arson
ring that operated on the Umpqua di.
vide: was not only beyond the pale in
regard to the laws Of the valleys. but
he could have learned valuable lessons
from the beasts in regard to keeping
the laws of the hills. The moon looked
down TO find him waiting on certain
trail that wound down to the settle.
ments, his rifle loaded and ready for
another kind Of game than deer OF
wolf. He was waiting for Landy Hill.
dreth: and the greeting he had for
him was to destroy all chances of the
prosecuting attorney in the valley be.
low learning certain names that he
particularly wanted to know.
There was no breath Of wind. The
great pines, tall and dark past belief
stood absolutely motionless, like
strange pillars Of ebony. Bert Gran
.ton knelt III q brush covert, his rifle
loaded and ready in his lean. dark
hands.
No wolf that ran the ridges. nc
cougar that waited on the deer trails
knew a wilder passion. more terrible
h,ood-lust than he. 1t showed In his
ewes. narrow and never resting from
their watch of the trail: 1t was In his
posture and it revealed itself unmis
takably in the curl Of his lips. Some
thing like hot steam was In his brain
.blurring his sight and heating his
blood.
The pine needles hung wholly M"