Weekly miners' express. (DuBuque, Iowa) 184?-1849, 1849-03-13

came off to the slightest touch This wa
dreadful enough, but--water! water! water
he must have that, or they would 10th die
He sprang into the saddle and urged the
wretched creature along with the last ener
gies of bis sinking life. In an hour he hat
begun to grow dizzy, and the blackenet
earth swan round and round, and tossed
him to and fro! Now a STANCE noise was
bout him, and as the lifting waves of the
earth would almost seem to leap up into hi!
face, he would catch glimpscs Of huge wolve.
careering on them, who would turn up their
fiery eyes to his, and howl at him with rec
hot open mouths and loling tongues
suddenly his horse rushed down a steer
bank, and there was great splashing -
| Water! Blessed God, water! He tumblce
from his saddle into the cold delicious fluid
In an instant his senses had returned, and
he saw himself surrounded by thirty or for
~ prairie wolves, some of whom were
swimming in the water after him, while
others sat upon the bank Of the small lake
as he now discovered it to be, and howled
iercely 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 lis
passive horse, who while it was endeavor-
ing to pull him down, stood still and drank
the long eager draughts. He split the
VOLTS head with his knife, and soon sent
| the rest back out o. the water, yelling with
their wounds. But those upon the bank
only howled the louder. and they were an
| swered near at hand and from nfar by hun
dreds of others, who we're swiftly gathering
in ut the weli-known call to banquet
He now remembered that these wary and
internal brutes always collected in large
numbers, to follow in the wake of a great
prairie fire and tear the carcasscs Of those
animals that are killed, or band together,
to chase and drag down those that come
through alive, but scorched, blinded and
staggering, as was mis- poor horse. They
become very savage, with blood, impunity
and numbers, and very few creatures which
have escaped from the hungry flames can
escape from their yet more ravenous jaws
The creature, at other times is utterly con-
temptibe fo- it's cowardice, but he shudder-
ed when he called to mind the dreadful sto-
ries he had heard at their deadly fierCeness
at such times as this. "My God!' he
moaned aloud-wasn't it bad enough for nc
to pass that hell Of flames back yonder? and
have l only escaped that to mceta fate a
thousand times more hideous!' He looked
at his horse; the animal was now, too, re.
freshed, and began to be conscious Of the
new danger as it gazed around with staring
cycballs upon the eager end swift gathering
crowd that howled along the shore. He snor-
ted in alright, and lifted his head with wild
y nournful neigh, that seemed TO poor Dan
the most ptcous sound that ever rung upon
his ear before. There was comfort
though, the horse had life enough left in him
to make one more run for safety. He mount
ed, and after firing his rife, with deliberate
aim, into the thickest Of them, charged right
through at full speed. They leaped at his
feet, snd attempted to seize his horses legs.
but the animal was too mortaly fright ened
for them to impede his way for an instant -
Through he tramped; and away across the
prairie he flies, snorting with terror, and mo-
wing with as great speed as if perfectly fresh,
and away, too, in pursuit, swept the yelling
herd of wolves. Tuey were more than hun.
drce now, and seemed increasing in numbers
| at every Jump, for rs Dan lanccd his fright
cncd eyes around, he would see them stra CHIT
encd out with speed and their mouths wide
pen, coming to join the terrible route from
cry direction over the prairie. He looks be-
hind hm-they were close to his hcels--the
great part OF them, particularly those in trent
and who seemed most fierce and ravcnous,
were scorchcd nearly max cd. and with the
white foam flying, and their long red tongues,
their fiery glaring eyes, they presented the
most hi locus picture Of unrarthly terror that
ever mortal lived to be chased by before, un-
less by the horrible phantasmagoria Of mad.
ness! lie fired his pistols back at them, but it
made no difference, they only yelled the loud
er, and came on the more iicrccly, while five
joined their long train for each one that he had
killed. If his horse should fall give out,
they would 10th be torn to fragments instantly.
This appalling conviction caused him to give Il II
Of eye and nerve that left him in the
mortal fright to stcadying and guiding his
horse, for the only nope now lay in. him. He
! soon perceived. however, that he was leaving
the pack far behind, for there is little compar-
ison between the speed Of Il horse and that Of
u prairie wolf.
He now began to feel something of hope, and
as the frantic speed of his horse placed yet
greater distance between them. the uHmag gin.
able dread seemed to be lifted from his life
Now he could not hear their yells, and could
barely distinguish far in the the long
snake.like train yet moving on through the
relentless chase over the undulations of the
bare plain. He secs timber ahead. and shouts
in an ecstacy Of joyful relief, for then he him
self at least is safe! He can climb q tree
and in the delight of that thought, he has no
time for thinking that his poor horse cannot
climb trees!
The horse secs and is inspirited too-for to
all creatures on the prairies there seems to be
vague feeling Of safety in the sight Of the
woods! But alas! poor llorse They have
reached the timber. but scarcely u hundred
rods have been passed over, when the poor
horse gives out, and after few Intellectual ef-
forts still to obey the urging spur, can only
lean against the trunk OF u tree, and pant and
groan with exhaustion. Dan ascends the tree,
tying the lariat of his horse to ono Of the lower
limbs. He then loaded his arms, in the for
lorn hope Of defending his horse if they came
up All was still as death, but the loud pant
ing of the poor horse. He assembled higher to-
look out for the approach of the wolves, for he
had faint hope that they had given up the
chase. But ulas! his heart sinks aguin!-
There they come, the long yelcwsh looking
train, and several large white wolves have
joined them now. He knows we'll their tame
less AID pitiless ferocity of these red.eyed
monsters. and feels shat his true, his noble
horse, must go! Now he can hear their cry
they are in the woods. The poor horse shiv-
ers-Iooks back, and utters that wild waiing
neigh, as they rush upon him in body. Dan
fires down among them, bat what avail is it!
In twink ling his horse is dawn, n nd has been