| V '
UNTING \
WAPITI fIW/f !
BY \\H 4V 1
THEODOF.3 EQOSEVEI/T , 112
fCopyrlght. 1T.",. » p. Putnam's Son?
Published under . it;. :•;<; r.cnt with G. I'.
Putnam':. Sons, Jv ■ l ... ncl Lpndon.J
"Willi .1 .lilt Willis, 1
I >' is : : :l v.-» ck iu u v.ila
effort to kill moose
iTcal uuor.g the outlying
mountains :it the south
ern end of the Bitter
Root range. Then, us we hud no meat,
we determined to try for elk.
We were camped with a wagon, as
high among the foot-hills as wheels
could go, lxi t several hours' walk
from the range of the game; for it
was still early in the season, and they
had not yet come down from the up
per slopes. Accordingly >ve made a
practice of leaving the wagon for two
or three days at a timo to hunt; re
turning to get a night's rest in the
tent, preparatory to a fresh start. On
these trips wo carried neither blankets
nor packs, as the walking was diffi
cult and we had much ground to cov
er. Each merely put on his jacket
with a loaf of frying-pan bread and a
paper of salt stuffed into the pockets.
We were cumbered with nothing save
our ritles and cartridges.
On the morning in question we left
camp at sunrise. For two or three
hours we walked up-hill through a
rather open growth of small pines and
spruces, the traveling being easy.
Then we came to the edge of a deep
valley, a couple of miles across. Into
this we scrambled, down a steep slide,
where the forest had grown up
among the immense boulder masses.
Finally, in the afternoon, wo left the
valley and began to climb a steep
gorge, down which a mountain tor
rent roared and foamed in a succes
sion of cataracts. »
Three hours' hard climbing brought
us to another valley, but of an entirely
different character. It was several
miles long, but less than a mile broad.
Save at the mouth, it was walled in
completely by chains of high rock
ppaks, their summits snow-capped;
the forest extended a short distance
up their sides. Hardly had we enter
ed this valley before we caught a
glimpse of a yearling elk walking rap
idly along a game path some distance
ahead. We followed as quickly as we
could without making a noise, but
after the first glimpse never saw it
again; for it is astonishing how fast
The crash of the meeting antlers resound
ing through the valley.
an elk travels, with its ground-cover
ing walk.
By the lime the sun set. we were
sure the elk were towards the head
of the valley. We utilized the short
twilight in arranging our sleeping
place for the night, choosing a thick
grove of spruce beside a small moun
tain tarn, at the foot of a great cliff.
As the first faint streak of dawn ap
peared In the dark sky my companion
lunched me lightly on the arm. The
•e was nearly out; we felt numbed
by the chill air. At once we sprang
t:p, stretched our arms, shook our
velvt-, examined our lilies, swallowed
a mouthful or two of bread, and
• a'ked off through the gloomy forest.
'. t first we could scarcely see our
ay, but it grew rapidly lighter.
Then, as we trod noiselessly over tho
dense moss, and on the pine needles
under the scattered trees, we heard a
sharp clang and clatter up the valley
ahead of us. In a little glade, a hun
dred and twenty-five yards from us,
two bull elk were engaged in deadly
combat, while two others were lookin*
on. It was a splendid sight. The greal
beasts faced each other with lowered
horns, the manes that covered theli
thick necks, and the hair on their shoul
ders, bristling and erect. Then the:
charged furiously, the crash of tlv
meeting nntlers resounding through th<
valley. The shock threw them botl
• ••> thntr haunches; w' • locked horm
~ —.fnc
umlei them, straining every muscle in
their huge bodies, and squealing sav
agely. They were evenly matched in
weight, strength, and courage; and
push as they might, neither got the
upper hand, first one yielding a few \
inches, then the other, while they
swayed to and fro in their struggles, i
smashing the bushes and ploughing '
up the soil.
Finally they separated and stood ;
some little distance apart, under the [
great pines; their sides heaving, and
columns of steams rising from their j
nostrils through the frosty air of the
brightening morning. Again they
rushed together with a crash, and each
strove mightily to overthrow the other,
or get past his guard; but the branch- i
ing antlers caught every vicious lunge |
and thrust. This set-to was stopped j
rather curiously. One of the on look ing j
elk was a yearling; the other, though |
scarcely as heavy-bodied as either of j
the fighters, had a finer head. He was
evidently much excited by the battle, j
and he now began to walk towards the j
two combatants, nodding his head and
uttering a queer, whistling noise. They 1
dared not leave their flanks uncovered j
to his assault; and as he approached '
they promptly separated, and walked |
off side by side a few yards apart. Iu a '
moment, however, one spun round and
jumped at his old adversary, seeking
to stab him in ids unprotected flank;
but the latter was just as quick, and as
before caught the rush on his horns, i
They closed as furiously as ever; but ;
the utmost either could do was to in- ,
flict one or two punches on the neck
and shoulders of his foe, where the
thick hide served as a shield. Again
the peace-maker approached, nodding
his head, whistling, and threatening;
and again they separated.
This was repeated once or twice; and
I began to be afraid lest the breeze
Which was very light and puffy should
shift and give them my wind. So, ,
resting my rifle on my knee I' fired
twice, putting one bullet behind the j
shoulder of the peace-maker, and the
other behind the shoulder of one of the
combatants. Both were deadly 7 shots,
but, as so often with wapiti, neither of
the wounded animals at the moment
showed any signs of being hit. The
yearling ran off unscathed. The other
three crowded together and trotted bt*-
hiud some spruce on the left, while we
ran forward for another shot. In a
moment one fell; whereupon there
maining two turned and came back
across the glade, trotting to the right.
As we opened tire they broke into a
lumbering gallop, but were both
downed before they got out of sight in
the timber.
The wapiti is, next to the moose, the
most quarrelsome and pugnacious of
American deer. It cannot be said that
It is ordinarily a dangerous beast to
hunt; yet there are instances In which
wounded wapiti, incautiously approach
ed to within striking distance, have se
verely misused their assailants, both
with their antlers and their forefeet.
However, the fiercest wapiti bull, j
when in a wild state, flees the neigh
borhood of man with the same panic [
terror shown by the cows; and he
makes no stand against a grisly, though
when his horns are grown he has little
fear of either wolf or cougar if on his
guard and attacked fairly. The chief j
battles of the bulls are of course waged
with one another. Before the begin
ning of the rut they keep by them- :
selves: singly, while the sprouting
horns are still very young, at which
time they lie in secluded spots and
move about as little as possible; in
large bands, later in the season. At
Ihe beginning of the fall these bands
join with one another and with the
bands of cows and calves, which have
likewise been keeping to themselves
during the late winter, the spring, and
the summer. Vast herds are thus
sometimes formed, containing, in the
old days when wapiti were plenty,
thousands of head. The bulls now be
gin to fight furiously with one another,
and the great becomes split into
smaller ones. Each of these has one
master bull, who has won his position
by T savage battle, and keeps it by over
coming every rival, whether a solitary
bull, or the lord of another harem, who
challenges him. When not fighting or
love-making he is kept on the run,
chasing away the young bulls who ven
ture to pay court to the cows. Ho has
hardly time to eat or sleep, and soon
becomes gaunt and worn to a de
gree.
The battles between the bulls rarely
result fatally. After a longer or
shorter period of charging, pushing,
and struggling the heavier or mere
enduring of the two begins to shove
his weaker antagonist back and round;
and the latter then watches his chance
and bolts, hotly, but as a rule harm
, lessly, pursued for a few hundred
; yards. The massive branching antlers
I serve as effective guards against the
. most wicked thrusts. While the an
. tagonists are head on, the worst that
can happen Is a punch on the shoulder
which will not break the thick hide,
though it may bruise the flesh under
neath.
Wapiti keep their antlers until the
•lining, where and moose lo3e
■'"H'n he
CAMERON COUNTY PRESS, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 1908
ly that of a vicious 'and brutal cow
ar lie bullies her continually, anc
in limes of danger one thought li
!'• ■ ue.iking off to secure his OWL
rali ly. For all his noble looks he is ii
very c* beast, who behaves
i\ifi I fe. • to the weak, and
shews abject terror of the strong !
According t • hi • i u.ors, lie is guilty
of rape, i 'e> . and even murder. 1
never fell ilie I»; ! c-i.npunction all
shooting a bull. 1 hate t > hoot :•
cow, eve. i v.;i i'.,reed by necessity.
During )!• rut the bulls are very !
noisy: : their notes of amoron.
challenge •:•(} c iM- d "whi-tling" by
the fron i •. very in ippropriate- !
ly. They begin to whistle about ten j
days before they begin to run; ami
they have fa addition an odd kind of
bark, v. hi 'i Is only heard occasion
ally.
Heard at a little distance, and in ii
proper placet the call of the wapiti in
one of the grandest and most beauti- i
l'ul sounds in nature. Especially i■ (
this the ease when several rivals are i
Answering one another, on some frosty j
moonlight night in the mountains, j
Once, while in the mountains, 1 listen- j
ed to a peculiarly grand chorus of j
this kind. We were traveling with j
/» tv; 1 |
|
He plumjcd wildly forward.
pack ponies at the time, and our tent
was pitched in a grove of yellow pine, j
by a brook in the bottom of a valley. J
On either hand rose the mountains. [
covered with spruce forest. It was in ;
September, and the first snow had j
just fallen.
The day before we had walked loug
and hard; and during the night I slept I
the heavy sleep of the weary. Early j
In the morning, just as the east began |
to grow gray, I waked; and as I did
so, the sounds that smote on my ear, j
caused me to sit up and throw off the i
warm blankets. Bull elk were chal j
lenging among the mountains on both
sides of the valley, a little way from !
us, their notes echoing like the calling '
of silver bugles. Groping about In the
dark, I drew on my trousers, an extra j
pair of thick socks, and my mocca- j
sins, donned a warm jacket, found my j
fur cap and gloves, and stole out of !
the tent with my rifle. Two herds -
were approaching one another, from j
opposite sides of the valley, a short
distance above our camp: and the mas
ter bulls were roaring defiance as they j
mustered their harems.
I walked stealthily up the valley, !
until I felt that I was nearly between !
the two herds; and then motion- :
less under a tall pine. I made up my j
mind, from the sound of the clialleng- i
ing, now very near me, that one bull I
on my right was advancing towards a j
rival on my left, who was answering I
every call. Soon the former approach- '
ed so near that I could hear him crack i
the branches, and boat the bushes '
with his horns; and 1 slipped quietly |
from tree to tree, so as to meet hint |
when he came out into the more open !
woodland. Day broke, and crimson '
gleams played across the snow-clad
mountains beyond.
At last, just as the sun flamed red j
above the hill-tops, I heard the roar of ,
the wapiti's challenge not fifty yards !
nway; and I cocked and half raised j
my rifle, and stood motionless. In a j
moment more, the belt of spruces in \
frort of me swayed and opened, and j
the lordly bull stepped out. lie bore j
his massive antlers aloft: the snow lay '
thick on his mane; he snuffed the alt i
and stamped on the ground as he j
walked. As I drew a bead, the mo
tion caught his eye; and instantly his
bearing of haughty and warlike self
confidence changed to one of alarm.
My bullet smote through his shoulder- j
blades, and he plunged wildly for j
ward, and fell full length on the blood
stained snow.
Nothing can bo flyer than a wapiti j
bull's carriage when excited or alarm- I
ed; he then seems the embodiment of j
strength and stately grace. But at
ordinary times his looks are less at
tractive, as he walks with his neck
level with his body and his head or ■
stretched, his horns lying almost oa j
his shoulders. The favorite gait of j
the wapiti is the trot, which is very j
fast, and which they can keep up for j
countless miles; when suddenly and i
greatly alarmed, they break into an
awkward gallop, which is faster, but
which speedily tires them.
First Silver Wedding.
The first silver wedding dates back
to the time of Ungues < 'apet. The serv
ants, says Home Chat, belonging to
him had grown gray in his service, a
man and n woman, and what could he
do as a reward? Calling the woman,
he said: "Your service is great, greater
than the man'.:, wli i-c service is great
eiiou !. for 1!: • .soman always flrnhi
work I:. 1:■ itthan a man, and therefore
I will give you a reward. At your
ag'.' I of r >ue better than a dow
ry an.l husband. The dowry is here
—Hii farm 1'; i this time forfti he
lou " ' ti : HI. If this mati. who his
worked with ."ou five and twenty
year. . !•; wiili..-; in marry you, then the
hurbainl Is ri dy."
"Your Mf' ly," said the old peas
ant, '"how i i. i> > il le that we should
marry, hating already silver hairs?"
"Then it thall be a silver wedding."
And the king gave the couple silver
enough I > keep them in plenty.
This soon became known all over
France and raised such enthusiasm that
it became a fashion after twenty-live
years of married life to celebrate a sil
ver weutling.
The Treasury Vaults.
The first question the average vis
itor to the United States treasury
building asks is, "Couldn't burglars
tunnel under the vaults and rob the
government?" Well, that is not likely.
An armed guard sits beside the vaults.
Every twenty minutes he is required
to ring an alarm just to show that he
Is awake. An armed patrol makes the
rounds hourly. Secret service men iu
plain clothes, with concealed weapons,
keep watch and ward outside and in
siue the building. As to tunneling, the
otDclals hold that if a man by any pos
sibility should manage to bore under
neath a vault the heavy metal would
crush him to a jelly, thus administer
ing a lasting gold cure. Even if the
tunnel burglar should get away with
Uis life he could not get away with
much gold. Ten thousand dollars In
double eagles weighs thirty-eight
pounds. Forty million dollars in gold
certificates of the SIO,OOO denomination
weighs eleven and a half pounds.
Even burglars prefer the gold certifi
cates to the real thing.—Buffalo Times.
Journalistic Revenges.
The curious boycott of the press in
the Berlin parliament had a precedent
In the mother of parliaments, the Brit
ish house of commons. A writer in
Harper's Weekly recalls that the per
son involved was no less a celebrity
than the late Daniel O'Connell. He
condemned the inaccuracy of the par
liamentary reports, but he forgot to
make allowance for acoustic difficulties
and the buzz of intervening conversa
tion. lie charged the reporters with
the malicious suppression of his speech
es, and the gallery then refused to re
port him at all. Dan stormed and
thundered in vain, even moving that
the ringleaders be brought to the bar
of the house. Finally he apologized,
and all was well. Lord Lyttleton in
1871 fell foul of the press in the same
way, and the late Lord Monteagle had
his name omitted from London news
paper reports for two years because he
said something the reporters did not
like.
A Misplaced Pin.
"I was in an uptown tea room where
the scenery is all out of proportiou to
the amount served you," said a New
York clubman. "I was dallying with
some ice cream when my spoon struck
a common, everyday pin in the bottom
of the frozen stuff. 1 gave a little
wave, and a waiter slipped to my side.
'See, a pin in this ice cream,' 1 said.
'Why, I might have swallowed that.'
He took the glass and disappeared.
When he returned he reminded me of
an undertaker, lie was that solemn.
'That pin lias lost a man his job, sir,'
he said. 'Well,' I replied, 'I am sorry
for that, but it might have cost me my
life, when you come to think of It.'
'Yes, sir,' said the waiter meekly. Tiien,
'You see, sir, most of the folks that
eats here just sips their ice cream and
don't chew it.' "—New York Times.
Growth cf Pity.
No one formerly looked on with any
pity or even horror at punishments
which are now found too dreadful for
description. Men were broken on the
wheel, were burned at tiie stake, were
racked, were cut up alive. No one
seems to have felt any pity for their
agonies. Men were put into noisome
prisons, where, with bad air and in
sufficient food, they died unnoticed
and unpitied. It is very different now.
Human hearts are more tender.
She Voted.
"What was the topic of debate in our
club today?" asked one member of the
feminine society.
"The topic of debate," was the re
sponse. "Why— er—let me see—-I can't:
remember what the topic was. But 1
voted on either the positive or negative
side of the question. 1 forget which."
—Washington Star.
The Problem Solved.
Newcd —My wife has a habit of tak
ing money from my pockets when I'm
asleep. Oldwed Mine used to do that,
too, but she doesn't any more. Newcd
—llow do you prevent it? Oldwed—l
spend every cent I have before I go
home.—< 'hicago News.
An Exception.
"Ah. kind friend," s:iid the minister,
"It Is deeds, not words, that count."
"Oh. I don't know,'' replied the worn
mi. "Did you ever send a telegram?"--
Detroit Free l'ress.
Cheering.
Aspirant- Vou have heard my voice,
professor. Now please tell me candid
ly what branch of vocalism it is best
adapted for. Professor Well clteer
lng!
Merchant
Tailoring I
I ° s
% i
I
I I
L K
I I
g Kail Stock lias arrived B j
$ in all popular shades. 11
« Brown and Elephant B
g Gray are the leaders of B
' B this season. B |
i Call and look them over Bj
I 1'
I Theo. Haberstock j
iHmiT TTTiirini 111 MI inn
MRS.
M. F. Conway
Has removed from Broad
Street and is now located
j on Fourth Street, opposite
| the Odd Fellows Block,
j where she will continue to
serve her customers with
Home-made Bread
!
Cookies and any
thing in the Bak
ing line made to
order.
===
| Mrs. M. F. Conway,
I Ludlams 1
■ I
IW e do not intend to carry over
any of our Summer G-oods and in
order to make all goods go we
have put the knife deep into all
prices.
Any Untrimmed Hat 98c
$6.00, $7.00 and SB.OO Hats $3.50 i
$4.00 and 5-00 Hats $2.50 1
$2 and $3 Hats $1.50 I
■ AH Flowers, One-half Off I
We still have a few nice pieces
of Embroidery Flouncing that we
have reduced one-third in price.
I New Assortment of Valanese Laces
and Insertion.
Finest line of Hosiery in the
county. Also the new Princess
Corset.
\\ V N \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ ,\/
SECOND TO NONE • *
/ ADAM,
MELt)RUM &
Andefson Co. '
/ /
, 396-408 IVn >i ' t "
BUFFALO, s . |
/ ✓
New Fall «
; Dress ;
•• Goods
/ We import more, sell /
/ more and carry more Dress /
/ Goods in stock than all the $
% .
112. department stores in Buf- %
falo combined. Yon get a %
/ greater selection here from
112 a fill i range of weaves and %
fi colors. Onr large purchases 4
fi and the fact that we deal
£ with producers only enables /
ns to save all middlemen' /: <-
% i
112 A
% Send for I
| Samples <
i , I
of the new Fall goods.
Please state the kind and £
s color yon desire and about ,
■/ the price yon can pay. On ,
/ account of onr immense ,
/ stock it is impossible to /
/ send samples of all. /
it |
1 ~ 1
' COME IN PERSON IF POSSIBLE '
/ /
, Railroad fares rebated /
yin connection with the /
Chamber of Commerce. ,
/ /
£
% |
' ADAM, J
Z MELDRUM & -
/ ANDERSON CO. ✓
H American Block, Buffalo, N.Y.
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