Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1851-01-02
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From Miss McIntosh's " Christmas Gift"
THE WOLF C H A s E,
BT C. WHITEHEAD.

During the Winter of 1874, being engaged in
the northern part of Maine, had much leisure
to devote the wild sports of new country. To
none of these was more passionately addicted
than to skating, The deep and sequestered
lakes of this State, frozen by the intense cold Of
a northern winter, present a wide field to the
lovers OF this pastime. Often would bind on
my skates, ahd glide away up the gittering rv
beneath its fetters on toward the parent ocean.
forgetting all the while time and distance in the
luxurious sense of the gliding motion thinking
of nothing in the easy flight, but rather dream
at the long weeds and crosses that nodded in the
current beneath, and seemed wrestling with the
waves 10 let them go; or would follow on the
track of some fox or otter, and run my skate a.
lnog the mark he had left with his dragging tail
until the trail would enter the woods. Some
times these excursions were made by moonlight,
and it was on one of these occasions that had
rencounter, which even now, with kind faces
around me, cannot recall without nervous
looking -over-my shoulder feeling.
had left my friends house one evening Just
before dusk, with the intention of skating short
distance up the noble Kennebec, which glided
directly before the door. The night was beau
tifully clear. A peerless moon rode through an
occasional feecy cloud, aud stars twinked from
the sky and from every frost covered tree in the
I millions. Your mind would wonder at the light
that came glinhng from ice, and snow-wreath,
and incrusted branches, as the eye followed for
miles the broad CLEAN of the Kennebec, that
like jewelled zone swept between The mighty
forests on its banks. And yet all was STILL
The cold seemed to have frozen tree, air, water
and every living thing that moved. Even the
ringing of my skates on the ice echoed back
from the Moccasin Hill with startling clearness
and the crackle of the ice as passed over it in
my course, seemed to follow the tide of the riv.
er with lightning speed.
| had gone up the river nearly two miles
when, coming 10 little stream which empties
into the larger. turned in to explore IFS course
Fir and hemIock Of a century's growth met over.
head, and formed an arch-way radient with frost
work All was dark within, but was young
and fearless, and as | peered into an unbroken
forest that reared itself on the borders of the
stream, laughed with very joyousness my wild
hurra rang through the silent woods, and stood
bo hot
gain, until all was hushed. thought how otter
the Indian Hunter hud concealed himself behinC
these very treeS-how often his arrow had pierc
ed the deer BY that very stream, and his wilt
hulloo had here rung for his victory. And the
turning from fancy TO reality, watched coup
of white owls, that sat in their hooded state
with rufled pantalets and long ear-tabs, debat
ing in silent conclave, the affaiIs Of their froxe
realm, and wondering if they, for all the
n, feathers, were cold" when suddenly soun
arose-it seemed to me to come from benea,
the ice ; it sounded low and trmemulous at firs
until it ended in one wild yell. was nppalle
Never before had such noise met my ears.
thought it more than mortal-so fierce, and am
such an unbroken solitude, it seemed as if
fend had blown blast from an internal trut
pet Presently heard the twigs OH the she
snap, as if from the tread of some animal, a
the blood rushed back to my forehead witt
bound that made my skin burn, and | felt relic
the I'D that had to contend with things earthly, a
brit not Of spiritual nature-ny energies return'
and looked around me for some means Of
}. cape. The moon shone through the opening
ac- the mouth OF the creek by which had enter
ids' the forest, and considering this the best me'
not of escape, darted toward it like an arrow.
ken, was hardly hundred yards distant, and
q is swallow could scarcely excel my desperate fig
no yet, as turned my head to the shore, coulO
Else. two dark objects darting through the underbr
and at pace nearly double III speed to my own
vhat By this great speed, and the short yells VIII
be they occasionally gave, | knew at once t
my these were the much dreaded gray wolf
'iCe, l never had met with these animals, but fl