Williams news., 1922-12-01

CTedluTe III luS 4OI CSl Oul ~Idt hAC"
 this fact.
 "The Gray King" one could imagine
 them saving among themselves The
 effect was instantaneous. The little
 raccoon halted in his descent, then
 crept out to the end of a limb. The
 coyote, an instant before crawling
 with body close to the earth, whipped
 about as if he had some strange kind
 of circular spring inside of him. He
 snarled once in the general direction
 of the Gray King. SThen he lowered
 his head and sl>ulked off deeper into
 the coverts.
 The b1acktail deer, the gray wolf.
 even the stately Tawny One, stretched
 in grace in his lair. wakeled from
 sleep. The languor died quickly in
 the latter's eyes, leaving only fear.
 These were braver than the Little
 People. They waited until the thick
 brush, not far distant from where the
 bull elk slept, began to break down
 and part before an enormous, gray
 body.
 No longer would an observer think
 of the elk as the forest monarch, He
 was but a pretender, after all The
 real king had just wakened from his
 afternoon nap and was starting forth
 to hunt.
 [LNoH Ills 4ItJIS OOdS1AS, lIIS oidNA
 bears, did not wait to make conversa-
 tion. They tumbled awkwardly down
 the hill to get out of his way. For
 the massive gray form-wefghing over
 half a ton-waS none other than that
 of the last of the grizzly bears, that terrible forest hunter and monarch, the Killer himself.
 Long ago, when Oregon was new land to white men, in the days of the clipper ships and the Old Oregon
 Trail, the breed to which the Killer be 1onged were really numerous through the little corner north of the Siskiyous and west of the Cascades. They were
 a worthy breedi If the words of cer- tain old men could be believed, the southern Oregon grizzly occasionally, in the bounttfu1 fall days, attained a weight of two thousand pounds No doubt whatever remains that thou sand-pound bears were numerous. But unlike the little black bears, the grizzlies developed displeasing habits. They were much more carnivorous in character than the blacks, and their great bodily strength and power en- abled them to master all of the myriad forms of game in the Oregon woods. By the same token. they could take a full-grown steer and carry it off as a woman carries her baby.
 It couldn't be endured. The cattle men had begun to settle the valleys, and it was either a case of killing the | grizzlies or yielding the valleys to | them. In the relentless war that fol- | lowed. the breed had been practically wiped out few of them, perhaps, l fled farther and farther up the Cas- ! cades, finding refuges in the Canadian mountains. Others travelled east, To- eating at last in the Rocky noun tains, and countless numbers of them | died At last, as far as the frontiers 2 men knew. only one great specimen ! remained. This was a famous bear 1 that men called S1ewfoot-a magnih- cent animal that ranged far and i hunted re1entlessly, and no one ever knew just when they were going to l run across him. He was apt suddenly te loom up, like . gray cliff, at any 1 turn In the trail, and his disposition { grew querulous with age. In fact, in- | stead of fleeing as most wild creatures ! have learned to do, he was rather likely to make sudden and unexpected I charges.
 He was killed at last; and seem | fngly- the southern Oregon grizzlies 1 were wiped out. But 1t is rather easy ! to believe that in some of his wander \ ings he encountered-lost and far in l the deepest heart of the land called ! Trails End-a female of his own l breed. There must have been cubs l who, in their turn, mated and fought 1 and died, and perhaps two generations | after them. And out of the last brood | had emerged a single great male, a | worthy descendant of his famous an 1 cestor. This was the Killer, who in | few months since he had left his fastnesses, was beginning to ruin the l cattle business in Trails End.
 l As he came growing from his bed l this September evening he was not a creature to speak of lightly. He was down on all fours, his vast head was 1 lowered, his huge fangs gleamed in l the dark red mouth. The eyes were
 small, and curious little red lights | glowed in each of them. The Killer l was cross; and he didn't care who l knew it. He was hungry too; but 1 hunger is an emotion for the beasts of prey to keep carefully to them | selves.
 The Killer moved quite softly. One | u,ouJd have maryeIed how silently his