I
OREGON CITY COURIER, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 1908
WITM'THMl V
THE
WAPITI
BY
THEODORE ROOSEVELT
in u
o
fCopyrlght, 13, by G. P. Putnam' gsns.
Published under arrangement, with O. 1'.
Putnam's Sons, New York and London
NCE, while on a bunt
with John W111U, I
spent a week In a vain
effort to ' kill moose
among the outlying
mountains at Hie south
ern end of the Bitter
Hoot range. Then, as we had no meat,
we determined to try for elk.
We were camped with a wagon, as
high among the foot-hills as wheels
could ifo, but several hours' walk
from the range of the game; for It
was still early In the season, and they
had not yet come flown rrom tne up
per slopes. Accordingly we made a
practice of leavlDg the wagon for two
or three days at a time to hunt; re
turning to get a night's rest In the
tent, preparatory to a fresh start On
these trips we 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 rifles 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, we left the
valley and began to cllrnb 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.
Suve at the mouth, it was walled in
completely by chains of high rock
peaks, 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 w
could without making a noise, but
after the flrst glimpse never saw it
again; for It is astonishing bow fait
The crash of t?i meeting antlers resound
ing through Die valley.
tin elk travels, with Its ground-covering
walk. x
By the time the sun set we were
sure (he elk were towards the bead
of the valley. We utilized the short
twilight in arranging our sleeping
pluve for tho night, choosing a thick
grove of spruce beside a small moun
tain tarn, at the foot of a great cliff.
As the flrst faint streak of dawn ap
peared In the dark sky my companion
touched me lightly on the arm. The
Ore was nearly out; we felt numbed
by the chill air. At once we sprang
up, stretched our arms, shook our
selves, examined our rifles, swallowed
a ' mouthful or two of bread, and
walked off through the gloomy forest.
At llrst we could scarcely see our
way, but it grew rapidly lighter.
Then, as we trod noiselessly over the
dense moss, aud ou the pine needles
under tho scattered trees, we heard a
sharp clang aud clatter up the valley
ahead of us. lu a little glade, a hun
dred uitd tweuty-flvo yards from us,
two bull elk were engaged lu deadly
combat, while two ot Iters were looking
ou. It was a splendid sight. The great
beasts faced each other wllh lowered
horns, the manes that covered their
thick necks, aud the hair on their shoul
ders, bristling aud erect. Then they
charged furiously, the crash of the
meeting antlers resounding through the
valley. The shock threw them both
ou their haunches: with locked horus
and glaring eyes they strove against
each other, getting their hind legs well
under them, stralulng every uiuscie in
their huge bodies, and squealing buv
ngely. They were evenly matched In
weight, streugth, ami courage; and
push as they might, neither got the
upper bund, flint oue yielding a few
Inches, then the other, while they
swayed to and fro in their struggles,
smashing the bushes aud ploughing
up the soil.
Finally they separated and stood
some llttlo distance npart, under the
great pines; their sides heaving, ami
columns of steams rising from their
nostrils through the frosty air of the
brightening morning- Again they
rushed together with a crash, aud each
strov mightily to overthrow the other.
or get past his guard; but the brn nett
ing antlers caught every vicious lunge
and thrust. This set-to was stopped
rather curiously. One of the onlooklog
elk was a yearling; the other, though
scarcely as heavy-bodied as either of
the fighters, had a finer head. He was
evidently much excited by the battle,
and he now began to walk towards the
two combatants, nodding his head and
uttering a queer, whistling noise. They
dared not leave their flanks uncovered
to bis assault; and as he approached
they promptly separated, and walked
off side by side a few yards apart In a
moment, however, one spun round and
Jumped at bis old adversary, seeking
to stab him in bis unprotected flank;
but the latter was just as quick, and as
before caught the rush on his horns.
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 bis 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. Bo,
resting my rifle on my knee I fired
twice, putting one bullet behind the
shoulder of the peace-maker, aud the
other behind the shoulder of one of the
combatants. Both were deadly 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 be
hind some spruce ou the left, while we
ran forwurd for another tshot. in a
moment one fell; whereupon the re
maining two turned and enmo 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 slcht 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 n dangerous beast to
hunt; yet there are Instances In which
wounded wapiti. Incautiously approach
ed to wlthlti striking distance, have se
verely misused their assailants, both
with their antlers aud their forefeet
However, the fiercest wapiti bull,
when in a wild slate, flees the neigh
borhood of man with the sutne panic
terror shown by the cows; and he
makes no stand agnlnst a grisly, though
wbeu Ills horns are grown he has little
fear of either wolf or cougar If on his
guard and attacked fairly. The chief
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
tune they He In secluded spots and
move about as little as possible; In
large bands, later In the season, At
the beginning of the fall these bands
join with one another aud with the
bands of cows and calves, which have
likewise been keeping to themselves
during tiie late winter, the spring, aud
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 light furiously with one another,
aud tho great herd becomes split into
smaller ones. Each of these has one
muster bull, who has won his position
by savuge battle, and keeps It by over
' coming every rival, whether a solitary
bull, or the lord of another hurem, who
challenges blm. When not fighting or
love-muklug 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. I Tho battles between the bulls rarely
result fatally. After a ' longer or
' shorter period of charging, pushing,
and struggling the heavier or more
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
servo as effective guardH aguliiBt the
most wicked thrusts. While the an
tagonists are head ou, the worst that
cau happen Is a punch on the shoulder
which will not break the thick hide,
though it may bruise the flesh under
neath. Wapiti ke.p their antlers until the
spring, whereas deer and moose lose
theirs by nild-wlnter. The bull's be
havior in relation to the cow Is mere
ly thut of a. vicious and brutal cow
ard, lie bullies her continually, and
in times of danger his one thought Is
for sneaking off to secure his own
safety. For all his noble looks he Is a
very unnnilalile beast, who behaves
with brutal ferocity to the weak, and
shows abject terror of the strong.
According to bis powers, he Is guilty
of rape, robbery, and even murder. 1
never felt the least compunction at
shooting a bull, but I hate to shoot a
cow, even when forced by necessity.
During the rut the bulls are very
noisy; and their uotes of amorous
challenge are called "whistling" by
tho frontiersmen, very inappropriate
ly. They begin to whistle about ten
days before they begin to run; and
they huve In addltlou an odd kind of
bark, which Is only heard occasion
ally. Heard at a little distance, aud lu Its
proper place, the call of the wapiti is
one of the grandest and most beauti
ful sounds in nature. Especially Is
this the case when several rivals are
answering one another, on some frosty
niooullght night lu the mountains.
Ouce, while In the mountains, t listen
ed to a jiecullnrly grand chorus of
this kind. We were traveling with
pack ponies at tho time, aud our tent
was pitched in a grove of yellow pine,
by a brook In the bottom of a valley.
On either hand rose the mountains,
cover4 with sprue forest. It was lu
September, and the first snow bad
Just fallen.
The day before we had walked long
and hard; aud during the night I slept
the heavy sleep of the weary. Early
In the morning, Just as the e'ast began
to grow gray, I waked; and as I did
so, the sounds that smote on my ear,
caused me to sit up and throw off the
warm blankets. Bull elk were chal
lenging among the mountains on both
sides of the valley, a little way from
us, their uotes echoing like the calling
of silver bugles. Groping about in the
dark, I drew on my trousers, an extra
pair of thick socks, and my mocca
sins, donned a warm jucket, found my
fur cap and gloves, and stole out of
the tent with my rifle. Two herds
were approaching one another from
opposite sides of the valley, a short
distance above our camp; and the mas
ter bulls were roaring defiance as tbey
mustered their harems.
I walked stealthily up the valley,
until I felt that I was nearly between
the two herds; aud then stood motion
less under a lull pine. I made up my
mind, from the sound of the challeng
ing, now very near me, that one bull
on my right was advancing towards a
rival on my left, who was- answering
every cull. Soon the former approach-
o
He plunijcd wildly forward.
ed bo near that I could hear him crack
the"' branches, and beat, the bushes
with his horns; and I slipped quietly
from tree to tree, so as to meet him
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
above the hill-tops, I heard the roar of
the wapiti's challenge not fifty yards
away; and I cocked and half raised
my rifle, and stood motionless. In a
moment more, tho belt of spruces In
front of me swayed nnd opened, and
the lordly bull stepped out. He bore
bis massive antlers aloft; the snow lay
thick on his mane; he snuffed the air
and stamped ou the ground as he
walked. As I drew a bead, the mo
tion caught his eye; nnd Instantly his
bearing of haughty nnd warlike self-
contldence changed to one of alarm.
My bullet smote through his shoulder
blades, und he plunged wildly for
ward, and fell full length on the blood
stained snow.
Nothing can be finer thau a wapiti
bull's carriage when excited or alarm
ed; he then seems the embodiment of
strength nnd stately grace. But at
ordinary times his looks are less at
tractive, as ho walks with his neck
level with ills body aud his head out
stretched, his horns lying almost on
his shoulders. Tho favorite gult of
the wapiti Is the trot, which is very
fast, and which they can keep up for
countless miles; when suddenly aud
greatly alarmed, they break into an
awkward gallop, which is faster, but
which speedily tires them:
At Shlvely's
There is a liooulinr charm .ilmut a
rural play wl.en prosonted with fidel
ity to nature. SlcIi a one is "Uncle
Josh Perkins," tho realistic comedy-
drama, whioli will hold tlio boards at
Sliivoly's opera house on Mondy, Oct.
5, for one night only. It is said to
contain just enough tragedy, with
comedy elements cleverly interwoven,
to attract and retain human interest
und fuiiny enough to extract hearty
laughter from tho most blaso theatre
goer. It. is said to produce an atmos
phere us pure as tho scent of nev
mown liav, and tolls a pretty love
story in it highly original manner;
splendid stage settings depicting rural
scenes of lifti-liko simplicity and well
known land marks of New York are
used iu the lour acts of the play,
which is given Best by the introduc
tion of splendid specialties thoroughly
m harmony with tlio thouie ot the
story tui'ougliniu the various acts.
llits attraction promises to ho an uu-
nsuullv able one, tho statement lmiug
based upon reports from the press of
oilier cities and. theatrical uinungers
in whoso theatres if bus appear-'d the
present seiison.
CASTOR I A
lor Infants and Children.
Ill m You Hare Always Bought
Bears the
Signature
IF YOU LIKE TO BE DRESSED IN THE SMARTEST
STYLE, AND THE BEST QUALITY, NOW'S
YOUR CHANCE
9s
You'll Find This Store the Right Place for Distinction in Clothes.
Copyright 1908 hy Hart Si'haffnrr le Mam
Hart ScMner
&Marx
besides Clothes;
Shirts,
Neckwear,
Hats,
and all the rest.
clothes are the best ever of
fered for men to wear: every
fabric all-wool, the tailoring
done m a way to keep the
good style looking right; you
will find these clothes the
best for your wear, the most
perfect clothes made.
We show yoti jtist for ex
ample one of the new two
button styles; a very snappy,
stylish suit.
In addition to a great line
of fancy weaves and colors we want you to have one of our fine black suits
for dressier-than -business use.
This Store is the Home of Hart Schaffner Marx Clothes
We'll show you all Sorts
of Good
Things to Wear
Oregon GIty's Busy Store"
L.. AD A MS
Oregon City's Busy Store"
Harry Knanse is in this city again
after a year's absence.
Reginald Farnell of St. Johns wade
a business trip to tins city wonnay
evening.
Charles Truscott has accepted a po
sition with the Paoilio Telephone
Oouipany.
William Myers, Alleu Adams and
Thomas Sinnott of t is city lotf,
Wednesday for Oaiihy, where they are
Two Suits to Quiet Title.
During the past week two suits
have been instituted in the circuit
conit to quiet title to certain tracts
of land. Mary Maddock I'as brought
suit against Elizabeth Forrest, et al,
, to qi iet title to lot 6 block 151 of this
city. Her attorneys are Diuiick &
Dimick.
Through U'Hen & Sohuebel, Louis
conducting a bootli during the comity Tueholke has instituted proceedings
fair.
Miss Beruice MoKiuley, of Port
Ian, and George K. McLaughlin
were qniotly - married in George 0.
Browuoll's law olllce Monday after
noon, the oeremonv being performed
by Justice of tho Peace W. W. H.
Samson.
against Mary E Bruce ot al to quiet
title to the northesat oue-foorth of
the James McNary donation land
churn, situated in township 3 sonth of
rang 2 east.
Wanted Six fresh miloli cows.
L. Hartke, Mt. Pleasant, Hedges'
place, one mile east of Oregon City,
It
Notice to Creditors.
Notice is hereby given that the un
dersigned has be3ii appointed by the
Hon rable County Court of Clacka
mas county, Oregon, ns administra
tor of the estate ot Tennie North,
deceased.
All persons having olaiuis against
said xstat'j are notiiied to present the
same to me, at the olllce of my at
torneys in Oregon City, within six
mnntlis from this date.
Dated October 3d, 1!M)8.
CHARLES D. ROBESON,
Administrator Aforesaid.
C. D. & D. O. LATOURKTTK.
Attorneys for Estate. 0-2-ilO
Sheath trousers nay now come in
line cut well on the side and at the
bottom.
. University Notes
University of Oregon, Eugeue, Sn
teiuber 80, 1908. The University will
issne in a short time the second num
ber of its bulletin ou Correspondence
Study Couises. The correspondence
work last year mot with so encour
aging a reception aud the demand for
it was so great that this department
has been greatly strengthened and
many new courses are being offered
It is believed thnt 8000 stuieuts will
enroll for this work hetweeu now mid
the flrst of February.
Coach Robert Forbes, tho famous
Yale end, who was hired by the As
sociated Studeufs of the University of
Oregon to coach their football team,
is making a great hit with his men,
Fifty men are turning out for prac
tice daily.
-The Freshman class at the Univer
sity of Oregon numbers nearly 260
members.
At a recent meeting of the Sop 10
more class, Miss Julia Cross was
elected secretary and . Charles W.
Hobison treasurer of the class. Both
of the newly elected officers are from
Oregon City.
1 FIVE-MINUTE TALK
How le Kep Away
CHICKEN LICE
MITES
COCKROACHES AND
BEDBUGS
by
Fur a Whole Year
Mntle Application or
AVENARIUS
CARB0LINEUM
Oerman Wood Preserver.)
Non-polsonoui. Sanitary Odor. Put
up In lithographed cans only.
Don't let your dealer give you a
worthless Imitation.
FUK 8A1.K BY ALL DEAXJCK&.
Carhollneum Wood Preserving Co.
I'tfTI istDU , KIT.
Milwaukee, Wit.
New York. N. T.
San Pram'laco. I'al.
Fisher, Tho sen SCa.
Wholeitate Autntii.
lpt. ia, Portland
Oregon.
Write for Testimonial.
(OtK BOSS vsis
BEWARE of Imitations
USE THE GENUINE
AVENARIUS
CARBOLINEUM
THERE'S A CHEAP
IMITATION
on the market that is being offered
. at from JI.00 .to f 1.25 per gallon.
The genuine etui be bought In quart
cans at 50c; 1 -gallon cant at $ 1 .50
Insist 011 the Genuine
Take no other
Put up in lithographed cans
.For Sale irt Oregon City
Stores
mm
Cures all Kidney and Bladder Diseases Guaranteed
JONES DRUG COMPANY
HAVE YOU DRIVEN THE
MPN 'k9 '"l0 tue Pract'ee f Econ
4ill"li omy? Why not show the good
example by beginning to economize
yourself? Buy whatever you need in the
way of Coffee and Tea at this up-to-date
store.
Finest M (Si, J Coffee 35c
Best Teas. 60c
Harris Grocery
OREGON CITY
For Sale Two heavy farm wagons,
donble set harness, one horse seven
years old, one 14-inch aud one 18-inch
plow, ten -foot steel drug, one-horse
cultivator. K. Stromer, Oak Grove,
Ore., Courtney Station. 4t
OUR SUCCESS
Is due to the uniform high grade
dentistry that is always done
at this office.
PLATE WORK
We are doing more plate work
than any three dental offices
in Oregon City. We do it for
less money and guarantee a fit.
At Crown and Bridge Work and
Fine Gold Fillings we" set the
pace. Before you have your
dental work done, come and
talk it over with us. Free ex
amination. No Gas, No Cocaine
EXTRACTING FREE AND
PAINLESS
when teeth are ordered.
Oregon Dental Parlors
Over Harding's Drug Store.
A written guarantee with all
work.
Wool Soap
SWIFTS PRIDE SOAP
7 Bars for 25c
-1
T 1 1 i a it. r
i w no. i me careiu
housewife is looking for
We have it in
5cand 0c cakes
Be sore to ask
For
8
WOOL SOAP I
Mates wash day easier by cutting the
rubbing in half. Less rubbinn means
less hard work and longer life for your
clothing and linens.
Swift's Pride Soap makes the white
pieces clear and snowy, even if you do J
not have an opportunity to snubleachlsflB
theui on the lawn. tMssa
I
ClvniCL wwhet an-
VV .(.$jr derwe M
fy 1 VA jTI eauily and
I V-A Bomrana.
I Yj UkWooI I
" I r I fl Soap alao B
II V forlacta
111 aiM &Ae
JV fW.
JJ,alBSSSagBaajayaTa
A. ROBERTSON
The Seventh Street Gtocer