The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1923-01-25

The Killer moved quite softly. One
would have marveled how silently his
great feet fell upon the dry earth and
with what slight sound his heavy
form moved through the Tickets. He
moved slowly, cautiOuSly-all the time
mounting farther up the little hill that
rose from the banks Of the stream.
He came to IN opening in the thicket.
n little brown pathway that vanished
quickly into the shadows Of the COW
ertS.
The Killer slipped softly into the
heavy brush Just AT its mouth. 1t was
his ambush. Soon. he knew, some OF
the creatures that had bowers in the
heart Of the thicket would be coming
along that trail onto the feeding
grounds on the ridge. He had only
TO wait.
The night wind, rising SOm-vLr,e in
the region of the snow banks on TIE
highest mountains. blew down into the
Killers face and brought MESSAGES
that no human being may ever receive.
Then his sharp ears heard the sound
Of brush cracked softly as some one
Of the larger forest creatures came
up the trail toward him.
The steps drew nearer and the
Killer recognized them. They were
plainly the soft football of some mem
Der OF the deer tribe, yet they We're
too pronounced to be the step of any
Of the lesser deer. The bull elk had
left his bed. The red eyes of the
grizzly seemed to glow as he waited.
Great though the stag was. only one
little blow of the massive forearm
would be needed. The huge fangs
would have to close down but once.
The boar did not move a single tell
tale muscle. He scarcely breathcd.
The bull was almost within striking
range now. The wicked red eyes
could already discern the dimmrSt
shadow of his outline throuoh the
t~hickctS. But all at once he stopped.
head lifting. The Killer knew that the
elk had neither detected his Odor nor
heard him. and he had made no move
mentS that the sharp eyes could de-
tect. Yet the bull was evidently
alarmed, He stood i%mmobilc. one foot
lifted, noStrils open. head raised.
Then, the wind blowing true, tho griz,
Ely understood.
A pungcnt smell reached him from
belOw-cvidentiy the smell NJ II living
creature that followed the trail along
tIn CT Tram th1f tInurn1 thrnnrh tln
glen. He recognized it i'm an instant.
He had detected il many times, par
tiCularly when he went into the
cleared lands to Kill cattle. 1t was
man, an odor almost unknown in this
lonely glen. Dave Turner, brother of
Simon, was walking down the stream
toward HudSon's camp.
To the elk this smell was Fear It.
self. He knew the ways Of men only
too well. Too many times he had
seen members OF his herd fall stricken
at II word from the glittering sticks
they carried in their hands. He ut
tered a far-ringing snort.
1t was a distinctive sound. begin
nlIS TdlntT HISH VI the SChlt as Il
loud whistle and descending into a
deep bass bawl. And the Killer knew
perfectly what that sound meant. 1t
was a simple way of saying that the
elk would progress nc farther down
that trail. The bear leaped in wild
fury.
The bull seemed TO leap straight up.
His muscles had been set at his first
alarm from Turner's smell on the
wind, and they drove forth the pow
erful limbs as If by a powder eXplo-
sion. He was full in the air when the
forepaws battered down where he had
been. Then he darted away into the
COvertS.
The grizzly knew better than to try
to Overtake him. Almost rabid with
wrath he turned back to his ambush.