WONDERS OF THE WILD

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1037, 28 January 1911, Page 7

WONDERS OF THE WILD

A WILDERNESS KING:

i'HB RED BULL OF THE. RANGES,

(Br Wimj Lawson.)

(All Rights Reserved.)

Tho Eed Bull, his massive proportions displayed in silhouette against the sunset sky,'walked'heavily to tho crest of a hill-spur, that dipped suddenly away to the valley.'. Spattered about tho hillside, on the' steep sidings, in tho uativo bush, in the well-grassed saddles between round knots,, moved slowly about tho cows;and calves, young steers, and heifers, composing the herd of wild cattle of which tho Eed Bull'was'King. His ancestors and theirs had brokeu away by ones and twos from tho paddocks and herds of tho settled, lands and taken to tho bush and tho wild hills from which retreat it was hard for men to reclaim them without' much expenditure of time and energy, and in the mob which owned'tho Eed Bull, their lord, there wore '.. none' of these runaways remaining, though hero and thero a branded hido told.of a new recruit to tho ranks—a beast, that had broken fences or wandered from unfenccd ■ land" until it had scented its kind here in>. the hills. And then the bellowing of the. wanderer, ask- . ing for companionship,' had brought the Bed Bull of the Eanges to seo who called, and after ho had bellowed his welcome to, admit the stranger into tho herd. But tho call ■ that brought tho Eed Bull to the hill-spur that overlooked the valley was not the bellow of a suppliant, nor tho voice of a lonely cow. It was. a challenge, the deep-throated roar of a bull.; At its third sounding some of the Eed ..Bull's cows came to, gaze through : the . twilight and one, a Brindlo Cow, the Eed Bull's favourite, sent a soft-toned musical call to the challenger down in the gloom. At this the Eed Bull stamp-' ed his forefeet and bellowed again and again until tbo echoes roared arid rumbled.' -With threatening horns ho. drove the'cows from his vantage ground- and the. two: bulls exchanged compliments until ..the moon rose. in the scarcely-dark-ened sky.- With, a-last hoarse roar tho Red: Bull turned, away. He took tho path that led down to the bushed val-ley-flats that flanked the river and tho herd, in scattered order, went' with him. 'Tha, brindled cow that was tho Eed Bull's favourite walked close at .'■ his hojjs.' "'''.■. .'•.'. When the.herd had..drunk they crossed the ..-river, some- moving away into the . bush and others seeking tho sloping hillBide. The Eed Bull and the Brindled Cow walked ' slowly towards a clearing in the bush-where the Ijrass grew long . and green and the top soil-was wet with recent. rain. When the Red Bull came into'tho open ho stopped, and ■ thrusting forward and upward his great muzzle, he bellowed -the challongo to that other bull. which he'kad not seen, but whose great daring had brought.him here to defy the King of. this Wilderness. A'..hoarse answer came, fierce and. Un- , afraid. Tho bush on the far-off side of the clearing crashed and crackled. Young 'trees swayed as tho stranger, making his own path, headed to meet the Eed Bull'. From Out the dark bush into the moonlit '.open, lie, came,-a bull as black as•■ night with long' whito horns. He paused as ho saw the Eed Bull, and looked' toward j the bash whero tho< cows were moving: nearer.! ' Then he thrust .forward his black head,'.and snapped out his fierce, short bellow. Tho brindlo cow answered ] again in-tho same musical bellow. Tho Eed Bull, who was walking'slowly towards the intruder, broko into a run across the hundred yards of intervening level ground. ,-'■ Tho other bull ran to meet him. With lowered heads and snorting nostrils their thick-skulled heads crashed together, and the bulls—the fiery lord of the wilderness, fighter of scores of battles before and since no attained his.kingship, ■ End. the .powerful, well-fed, immensely heavier black'bull of the settled lands, but none the less "fiercer-locked horns and' unlocked them, their feet ploughing up tho soft earth and grass'with, their rest- ' less, pushing feet. All his strength each one..concentrated '■ into the effort.to push his adversary.' so'that ho would lose his balance, and then to wound him, and possibly throw him, when the sharp hoofs of the victor Would-inflict: much damage. But worse than all the damage would be the disgrace in tho eyes of. tho watching cows which had drawn nearer, their wide, 60ft eyes'full of interest in the fight.. Short and hard came the breath of the fighting bulls. The Black Bull coughed as'the Eed Bull suddenly pulled bacK to free tho close-locked'horns, nearly upsetting the balance of v the stranger. Then with a whirr-r-r of; guttural sounds, tho Black- Bull heaved his 'great strength, forward." -For'tho moment, intent on free: ing his horns, the_ Eed Bull was driven backwards,; retreating in a circle. But his experience told him it was time lie got'lus horns clear. '-.He watched every, opportunity to do this/and when at last his head, so long twisted to one side, met the other's full oh, ho pushed against the Black Bull's fury, then swifty ran hack • a few steps,' . Like a tornado the Black Bull, - followed lip . this advantage in. a powerful rush, but in doing so ho slipped, but quickly recovered his balance. Tho Eed Bull was driven backwards again, still moving in a circle.' He repeated his tactics. Again the'bigger beast charged ruthlessly. But this time tho slip was more serious. One • leg shot out sideways, the great beast swayed and lurched for. a recovery. ■ Then' the Eed Bull of the Ranges,, leaping swiftly to the.side, freed his head, and as tho other half-fell, .the short horns of tho' wild bull gored, tho sleek, black flank, a long, shallow ripping of tho skin that made- tho other bel- . low. Again the heavy, thick heads were together; tho ground in the clearing was tramped and. churned by the striving hoofs. The' Eed ■ Bull was now a veritable fury, his wind was better than his adversary's, 'liis muscles were tougher, only' in weight was- he the losser. Onco more.tie horns locked, and, in clearing, one of tho Eed Bull's short, curved horns snapped off close at tho head, and the flowing blood'made a smear on his head Bhow dark in tho moonlight. But, fighting doggedly; ho forced the Black Bull to his knees, gored him severely in the shoulder, and with a short-length charge of lowered hsad : sent "him scrambling, beaten, winded, disgraced. Yet there-was one cow there that, sided with the Black Bull, the brindlo cow that had twice answered when. tho. stranger bellowed. As ho crashed away through the bush, bleeding.and angry.sho trotted away after him. Sho heard tho ited Bull's scornful bellow—the wild bull's cry of victory, and knew that the other cows were gathering round him. But she followed the stranger,' aiid led him to the sweetest grass away from the Eed Bull's herd. And tho Kcd Bull took the other caws up-to tho lower slopes, where the night Was: clear and, warm, and there rested. He was. soro in spirit, with tho knowledge that down in the valley the strange Black Bull had stolen one of his herd. Perhaps on tho morrow he would seek him again. Tho light had been a. haTd-one, and ho for tho time did not wish to renew it.

But oh - tho. morrow a strango thing happened. The Black Bull and the brindlo cow were feeding in the open level land far down Hie valley, when strange animals canio which the Ked Bull had never 6een before. They wcro men on horseback, who had come in search of tiio Black. Bull, which was a valuable animal, too good to let go to tho wilderness. They had .whips which tho Black. Bull had learned to respect, but which the Red Bull and the Brindlo Cow had never seen or heard of. The lied Bull saw tho whole happening. '■'.■'.

At the: men's approach the Black Bull fihrank away from, them; the Brindle Cow stared in amazement. In a whirl of whips and horses and men's voices the Black, Bull was rushed away down tlie .-■alley with the cow trotting behind tho ri.lvrs;' bellowing. But the Black Bull knew'-his masters. Then the', Brindle I'ow charged tiie men till the volleying Ships mot her and staggered her. \\ hilc {our men drove the Black, Bull homeward- one'rider stayed and held tho Brindle Cow at bay. Then tho lied fcull on his hills saw a jinff of smoke, heard tho crack of a pig rille, and saw the Briiid.'o Cow kicking on her side, while tlu< man rode away after his fellows.

h'or r long time the Ked Bull watched. The Srindlt- Cow never stirred. So l\e callui the rallying call of the herd, the balle-cry of the bulls of tho wilderness. In'a body the cattle, went down to the dfd Briudle Cow. They approached her artfully, trotting away and coming back

again. At last tho Eed Bull wont close and smelt'her. That was enough. ILis forefoot tore tho turf, his litllo eyes burned. Tho taint of blocd was in his nostrils, tlio blood of. his kind. Every beast camo and smelt tho carcass, and their bcllowings drowned the terrible voico of Iho lied Bull as he pawed and foamed about the place. Presently ho gavo a call of command, and galloped down the valley and up to the crest of a ridge that overlooked tho distant plain of bush and clear lands. The wholo mob thundered after him, and it was well for the riders that they were miles away.. Still the cattlo smelt them, nud for a.long time stood in n cluster scanning the open lands. But they saw nothing. And soon tho Eed Bull took them bnck to the > quiet valley, where they mourned anil stormed about Hie fallen lirindlo Cow that had onco been tho Eed Bull's favourite.

, "What'd you do to that cow?" ono of the stockmen asked, when, they heard tho distant bellowing. "Shot her; she wasn't much good," tho armed man answered.

Yet there was grief, grev and bitter, in tho heart of tho Eed. Bull of the Eanges, and a terror such as none ■of them had known before was in every beast iu.tlio Eed Bull's herd.