Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1851-09-04

ne early winter No man was near the hounds I
when ne broke the covert But fat Tom, who
had been detached from the party to bring up
provisions from the village. was driving in his
sleigh steadily along the road, when the sharp
chorus of the hounds aroused him. A minute
after, the lame scoundrel mped across the turn
PIKE, scant thirteen yards before him. Alas
Tom had but his double.barrel one loaded with
buck shot, the other merely prepared for part
nge-he blazed away, however, but in vain =
Out came ten couple on his track, hard after
him; and old Tom, cursing his bad luck, stood
to survey the chase across the open.
Strange was the felon's fate The first fence,
after he had crossed ths road. was full SIX feet
~ height, framed of huge split logs, piled so
close together that, save between the two top
most rails, a small dog even could have found
no passage. Full at this opening the wolf dash
ed ,as fresh, Tom said as though he had not
run yard but as he struggled through it, his
efforts shook the top rails from the yokes, and
the huge piece Of timber falling across his loins,
pinned him completely! At mile off / heard
his howl myself, and the confused aud savage
hubbub, as the hounds front and rear assailed
him.
Hampered althoug he was, he battled it out
ferceIy-ay, heroically-as six of our best
hounds manned for life, and one slain outright,
testified.
Heavens! how the fat man scrambled across
the fence! he reached the spot, and far too
much excited to reload his piece and quietly,
blow out the fierce brutes brains, fell to beabor-
ing him about the head with his gun.stock
shouting the while and yelling; SO that the din
Ihis tongue mixed with the snarls and long
howls of the manged savage, and the fierce bay
ing of the dogs, fairly alarmed me, as l said be-
fore, at a miles distance
Gas it chRnced, Timothy was on the road
close by, with Peacock; caught sight of him,
mounted, and spurred on fercely to the rescue;
but when reached the hills brow, all was over.
Tom putting and painting like a grampus in shoal
water, covered-garments and face and hands
after he had destroyed his gun, with what he
called stick, but what you and |, Frank, should
term fair sized tree; and with his foot upon
; the brindled monsters neck was quafing copous
rapture from the neck Of quart bottle--once
full, but now we'll nigh exhausted--of his appro-
pirate and cherished beverage" Thus fell the
last wolf on the Hills of Warwick!
"There, have finished my yarn, and in good
time" cried Harry, {" for here we are at the
bridge, and in five minutes more we shf be at
old Tx in'a dnor,, l-..--------.
GA right good yarn" said Foster and
> right we'll spun upon my word"
"But is it ?" asked A, e or is it,
: intended to be the truth ?"
: cob! the truth" laughed Frank, " the truth
y y as much as Archer can tell the truth; embcl-
y lished, you understand, embellishedm
"The truth, strictly" answered Harry, quietly
-"the truth not embellished. When | tell
personal adventures, am not in the habit of
decorating them with falsehood,"
> 81 had no dea," responded the Commodore,
"that there had been any wolves here so recent
ly!"
). "There are wolves here notc," said Archer,
: "though they are scarce and wary. 1t was but
= last year that rode down over the backbone
Of the mountain, on the Pompton road in the
night time, and thai on the third of July, and
one fellow followed me along the road till got
quite down into the cultivated country"
"The duce he did"
y elbow did you know he was following you ?"
! ! exclaimed Frank and the Commodore, almost in
. breath.
. "Did you see him?"
+ "Not but heard him howl half dozen
times, and each time nearer than before. When
a got out of the hills he was not six hundred
. yards behind me-"
"Peasant, that Were you armed? What
n did you do?"
n "lt was not really so unpleasant, after all-for
4 knew that he would not attack me at that sea-
son of the year. had my pistols in my hol-
If sters; and for the rest, logged steadily along
taking care to keep my nag in good wind for a
4 spirit, if it should be needed. knew that for
three or four miles could outrun him, if it should
come to the worst, though in the end wolf can
II run down the fastest horse; and, as every mile
q brought me nearer to the settlement, did not
N care much about it. Had II been winter, when
,t the brutes are hard pressed for food, and the
ID deep SHOWS are against horses speed it would
~ be very different thing. Hunah here we are
20 Hurrah! fat Tom! ahoy a-ho-oy !?
ht *The facts aud Incidents of the lame wofs death are
of strictly true, although they not witnessed by the
vi writer,