The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1923-01-11
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paused In the chase. growing un.
easily. gazing with fierce. luminous
eyes IN the direction OF the battle.
II f. beyond tho ken OF man
whether or not. In their Wild hearts.
these forest folk sensed what was talk.
Ing place their gray monarch
the sovereign grtxsly. was At the
death.fght with some dreadful In.
vador from the South. They heard the
bears fierce bawlA unimitahle by
any other voice. aa he dashed down
blow after blow. and they heard the
thud and crunch OF the IN against
his body. Had thla monarch OF tho
trails found his master at iast3
Gazing out thru the aperture 81
the cave Beatrice hehcld tho whole
picture; the ring OF spruce trees. tho
glade so strange and enslivered In
the moonlight. and these two fight
ing beasts, magnificent In fury over
the embors OF the dying fire. And
Rens powers Increased. rather than
insscned. Ever no swung his tar
rihle an with greater power
lie fought like the wolf that was
his blood brother--iunEing. striking
down. rccoiling out OF harms way,
and springing forward 60 strike
again. This man was Wolf Darby.
forester known IN many provinces
for his woods prowess. but oven
those who had seen his most spec
taoular fcats. in past days, had not
appreciated the real extent OF his
powers. There was fury and n
might IN his blows that was hard 10
beings-such foreclosures and wolf.
like savagery. yelling strength and
proves OF battle that mostly men
have forgotten In their centuries Of
civilization. but which rsill mark the
dcath.fight between beasta
Ben had always recalled the ear.
iler types OF man--hls Ereat.thswed
ancestors. wild hunters IN the for.
ests Of ancient ocrmAny--hut never
so much as tonight. lie was IN his
natural surroundings-at tho mouth
OF his cave in which Tho Woman
watched and exuited In his blows.
enclosed by the primevai forest and
beside the ashes OF hts fra There
could be nothing strange or unreal
about this scene 10 Beatrice. II was
more true than any soft vista Of .
far.awny city could possibly be. II
was life itself--man battling for his
homo and his woman against the
raw forces Of the wild.
All supcrfselalities and superflu-
tiles wer. gone. and only tho basic
stuff OF life rcmained--the cave. the
fire. tho man who fought the beast
In tho light Of the ancient moon.
Al that moment Ben was no moro
OF the twentieth century than he
was OF the first. or Of tn. frs, more
than OF some dark. unnumbercd cen
tury Of the worlds young days lie
was simply the male Of his species.
the mRn-chiid Of all time. forgetting
for the moment all the little lessons
civilization had taught. and fighting
his fight In the basic way for the
basic things
This was no new war which Ben
and the Ertrriy fought In the pale
AMAt VI h4lE tttR0A- - it&At H%A IN
when tho race began. and II would
continue. IN varied fields. until men
persisted from the earth. Ben fought
for life-nos only his own hut the
giri's-that old, beloved privilege 20
breathe the air and 90. and know
and be He represented. by q
strange symbolism. the whole race
that has always fought IN msre'iess
and neverendsng battle with the
cruel and oppressiv. powers Of ma
ture. In tho grizzly were typifiei
ali these ancient enemies tina, have
always opposed. with claw and fang.
this .talwart. self knowing breed
that has risen among the prirnntcs:
he syrlboiixed not only the beast Of
tn. forest. but the mercile.s eie-
ments, storm and food and cold
and all the isTions OF death. And
had they but known their ultimate
fate ~ this Intruder survived the
battle and brought his fellows into
this. their last stronghold. the
watching forest creatures would
have prayed 10 see the grizzly strike
him 20 the earth.
Ben knew. too. that he was fight
ing for his home: and this also lent
him strength. Hofnel His shelter
from the storm and the cold. ths
thing that marked him a man IN.
stead OF beast Tho grizzly had
come TO drive him forth; and they
had met beside the ashes Of his fra
The old exhilaration and rapture
Of battle flashed thru him a. hs
swung his an. sending homo blow
after blow. Sometimes he cried out.
Involuntary. IN his fury and hatred