The Democratic pioneer. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1845-1853, 1847-01-08
A chorus passing through the street,
Seems her soft answer to repeat
God is my refuge and my guide,
For His, He ever will provided
MISCELL.H.NH.
From Graham's Magazine for December
THE MAD WOLF.
BY "SOLlTARlE."
A Gale of the Rocky Mountains

L
inflicted severe blows upon us bo,h We
succeeded in securing his arms, and hav-
ing bound him upon pallet Of skins, we
drove stakes into the frozen ground and
there tied him. While he raved and
howled, all the savage in his nature made
predominant by his malady, Verbonc@nr
and myself sat weighed down with horrid
dread, and were contemplating each other
with fear. fancied beheid a lid ex.
preston in his eyes, and no doubt he Oh.
served the same in mine. Alexandra, in
the mean time, recovered from bis convul
sion, and in tones Of earnest duplication
besought us to end his torture, by sending
a bullet through his brain. His supplica-
tions but echoed the thoughts which were
coursing through my mind-I was medits>
ting suicide with all the coolness of
wretch whose cup of despair is fnll, and
the tide of which but fingers on the brn.
Another, and another convulsion followed
the progress Of the disease upon our poor
Alexandra; in his terrible paroxysms he
tore one arm loose from the cords, and
with howl began to rend il With hi. teeth;
when we secured the limb he tried to seize
his shoulder, this We prevented by placing
a strap across his forehead. and fastening
it on each side with stakes--he now bit
his lips with fury, and the blood and foam
gathered about them in his agony, while
the pupil his dark eye shot fire, and the
ball, which few daysrrevious was white
as the snow upon the hills, assumed hue
as red as blood. All other dangers van
shed before this one-the savage foe no
longer inspired fear indeed he would have
heen welcomed 10 a conflict which pro-
missed for MS certain death. As the sun of
that day Of sorrow went down, the half
! hroad's ParoHysnIs became NOR. violent
and seating ourselves beside his rude
mountain coach, we watched him through
the e loom of night Morning at length
dawned, and we were rejoiced that with
its 6rst blush the spirit of our oomrade
fed, leaving his tortured body to its long
sleep.
Alexandre's knife had been carried off
by the colt, with the guns, and the amount
of arms between Verboncnur and myself
was one rife, two knives, and pistol; of
these my companion had but knife as his
share, and felt selfshly glad, for lie was
an athletic man, who, armed, in madness,
would slay me in moment; I therefore
clutched the weapons possessed with an
eager gripe, and watched my comrades
motionswith painful vigilance. We could
not bury Alexandre's body the earth being
so frozen il was impossible to dig it with
our knives. we therefore started down TO
the river, with the intention of emitting a
hole through the ice aud depositing ii in
the stream, ont Of reach of the wolves.
Verbonceur frst commenced cutting, but
had not succeeded in making a crevice
before he snapped his knife blade off about
midway. This accident, at any time while
in the mountains, would have been looked
ed npon as great misfortnne-in our sit.
nation il was vie W ed as a frightful caIami-
ty-a loss which rendered us weak and
help less in defence, and which it was i'm
possible to replace; aud yet, paradox as
ii may seem while grieved I rejoiced.
for, while il diminished the number Of our
weapons, IT robbed my comparion OF the
only dangerous one, he had left, and one
had looked upon with dEead. | repre-
sented to him the necessity of carefully
preserving the other knife, and he assent
ed; we therefore concluded not to risk it
in the ice, but folding up the remains OF
our cad compa ion in buffalo robe left it
upon the prairie without sepulture, with
the W inds alone to murmer his dirge. 81
perished the first victim of the Mad Wolf.
When we again started, my companion
asked me for the pistol in my belt, and the
knife in my sheath, which he argued would
be fair division OF the weapons, and j
had no good reason for refusing him, other
than my wakeful fears. but ] put him off
with an excuse that I wished TO place
them 10 proper order before | resigned
them. He smiled, and we journeyed on.
After observing his countenance for some
time. I began TO grow reassured-It look
cd calm and undisturbed, and his step dis-
PLAYED hrmnea and decision which be-
lievsd could only belong TO health in body
and mind. WAile thus growing in iope
aad confidence, and when en- the very eve
Of yielding up weapon TO him, woif
hovlsd in our immediate neighborhood,
and could see him shudder, the muscles
! az bis face contract, and his eye assume