Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1849-02-01

passed. Before him, as far as the eye could
reach, there was only one charred, leyelled
smoulderng waste, which had to be crossed
before he could reach water, for which,
both himself and horse were now almost
perishing. He stated on at last, taking
his course at random, for one seemed to his
bewildered sense about as good as another.
He did not ride al first, but mercifully led
his poor horse, until the heat of the ground
and the still smouldering stubs of grass be-
came insuferable to his feet, and then he
turned to mount. He now, for the first
time, looked at the animal carefully, and to
his horror, saw that every hair upon its
body was gone, and nothing hut the bare
skin left, and that was so badly scorched in
places, that it came off to the slightest
touch. This was dreadful enough but
water water water he must have that,
or they would both die. He sprang into the
saddle and urged the wretched creature d
long with the last energies of his sinking
life. In an hour he had begun to grow
dizzy, and the blackened earth swan round
and round, and tossed him to and fro Now
strange noise was about him, and as the
lifting waves of the earth would almost
seem to lift up in his face, he would catch
glmpses of huge wolves careerng on them
who would turn up their fiery eyes to his,
and howl at him with red hot open mouths
and loling tongues Suddenly his horse
rushed down a steep bank, and there was
great splashing. Wafer Blessed God,
water He tumbled from his saddle in
to the cold delicious fluid. In an instant
his senses had returned, and he saw him
self surrounded by thirty or forty prairie
wolves, some of whom were swimming in
the water after him, while the others sat
upon the bank of the small lake, as he now
discovered it to be. and howIed ierceIy at
him. He struck those which were nearest
with his gun barrel and beat them off, while
he had time to draw his heavy knife. One
of them had seized his passive horse, who,
while it was endeavoring to pull him down,
stood Still and drank--the long eager
draughts. lie split the VOLTS head with
his knife, and soon sent the rest back out
of the water, yelling with their wounds
But those upon the bank only howled the
louder and they were answered near at
hand and from afar by hundreds of others,
who were swiftly gathering in the we'll
known call to a banquet. He now remem.
bered that these Wearied aud internal brutes
always collect in large numbers, to follow
i'll the wake Of great prairie fire and tear
the carcasses of those animals that are kill
ed, or band together, t. chase and drag
down those that come through alive, but
scorched, blinded and staggering, as was
his poor horse. They became very savage,
with blood, impunjty and numbers, and very
few creatures which have escaped from the
hungry flames can escape from their more
rayenous Jaws. The creature, at other
times is utterly contemplate for its COW.
ardice, but he shuddered when he called to
mind the dreadful stories he had heard of
their deadly ferceness at such times as this.
" My God p he moaned aloud" wasn't it
bad enough for me to pass that hell of
flames back yonder! and have | only esca-
ped that to meet fate thousssai -
more hideous?p lie looked at - ~
the animal was now, too, refreshed, and be-
gan to be conscious of the new danger as
it gazed around with staring eycballs upon
the eager aud swiftly gathering crowd tI..t
howled along the shore. lie snorted in af
fright, and lifted his head with wildly
mourntul neigh, that seemed to poor Dan
the most piteous sound that ever rung upon
his ear before. There was some comfort
though, the horse had life enough left in
him to make one more run for safety He
mounted, and after having fired his rifle,
with deliberate aim into the thickest of
them, charged right through at full speed
They leaped at his feet and attempted to
seize his horses legs, but the animal was
too MORALLY frightened for them to impede
his way for an Instant Through he tram
pied, and away across the prairie he flies,
snoring with terror, and moving with as
great speed as if perfectly fresh and away,
too, In pursuit, swept the yelling herd of
wolves They were more than hundred
now, and seemed increasing in numbers at
every jump, for as Dan glanced his fright.
ened eyes around he would see them strait
ened out with speed and their mouths wide
open, coming to join the terrible route from
every direction over the prairie. He looks
behind hm-they were close upon his heels
tho great part of them, particularly those
in front, and who seemed most fierce and
ravenous, were scorched nearly naked, and
with the white foam flying, their long red
tongues, their fiery glaring eyes, they pre-
scented the most hldlous picture OF unearthly
terror that ever mortal lived to be chased
by before, unless by the horrible phantas'
magoria of madness! He fired his pistols
back at them, but it made no difference,
they only yelled the louder, and came on
the more tiercely, while five joined their
long train for each one that he had killed.
If his horse should fall or give out, they
would both be torn to fragments in an in
slant! This appalling conviction caused
him to give all of eye and nerve that were
left him in the mortal fright to steadying
and guiding his horse, for the only hope
now lay in him. lie soon perceived, how
ever, that he was leaving the pack far be-
hind, for there is little comparison between
the speed of a horse and that of the prairie
wolf.
lie now began to feel something of hope,
and as the frantic speed of his horse placed
yet a greater distance between them, the
Interchangeable dread seemed to be lifting
from his life. Now he could not hear their
yells, and could barely distinguish in the
rear, the long snake-lke train yet moving
on through in the relentless chase over the
undulatons of the bare plain. He sees
timber ahead, and shouts in an ecstacy of
joyful relief, for then he himself at least is
safe He can climb tree-and in the
delight of that THOUGHT. he has no time for