The mountain sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1844-1853, 1851-02-20

fancy 10 reality, watched couple OF
white owls, that sat in their hooded state,
with ruliied pantalets and long ear-tabs,
debating in silent conclave the affairs of
their frozen realm, and wondering If they,
- for all their feathers were a-cold, when
suddenly 4 cry arose-it seemed TO me to
come from beneath the ice-it sounded
low and tremulous at first, until it ended
in one wild yell. | was appalled,. Never
before had such a noise met my ears. |
thought it more ttHn mortal--sO fierce,
and amid such an unbroken solitude, IL
seemed as if fiend had blown blast from
an internal trumpet Presently | heard
the twgs on shore snap, as if from the
tread OF some animal, and the blood rushed
back to my forehead with bound that
made my skin burn, and | felt relieved
that had to contend with things earthly,
and not of spiritual nalure-my energies
returned, and looked around for some
means of escape. The moon shone lhro'
the opening at the mouth of the creek 6y
which had entered the forest, and con
sidering this the best means of escape,
darted toward II like an arrow. Twas
hardly a hundred yards distant, and the
swallow could scarcely excel M desperate
flight; yet as | turucd my head to the
shore, could see TWO dark objects dashing
through the underbush at a pace nearly
double in speed TO my own. By this
great speed. and the short yels which they
occasionally gave, knew at once that
these were the much dreaded gray wolf.
| had never met with these animals, but
from the description given of them, had
-,la tba,,
ance. Their untameable fierceness, and
the uulirelng strength which seems part
of their nature renders them objects of
dread to every benighted traveller.
= With their long gal!oP, which can tire
The deer hounds hate, the hunters fire."
they pursue their prey--never siraying
from tbe track of their yictim-aud as the
wearied hunter thinks he has at last out
stripped them, he finds that they but
waited for the evening TO seize their prey,
and falls prize 10 the tireIess animals.
The bushes that skirted the shore flew
past with The velocity of lightning as
dashed on in my flight to pass the narrow
opening. The outlet was nearly gained;
one second more | would be comparative
! ly safe, when my Pursuers appeared on
The bank directly above me, which here
rose to the height of ten feet. There was
no time 10 be lost, SO bent my head and
dashed madIy forward. The wolves
sprang, bat miscalculating my speed,
sprang behind, while their intended prey
gllded out upon the river.
Nature turned me towards home. The
! light flakes of snow spun from the iron
of my skates, and | was some distance
: f-nr hC. tbat by,, 4
/ told me | was still their fugitive. | did
/ not look back | did not feel afraid, or
sorry, or glad; one thought Of home, of
} the bright faces awaiting my return, OF
| their tears if they should never see me,
and then every energy of body and mind
! was eXerted for escape. | was perfectly
al home on the ice. Many were the days
that had spent on my good skates, never
/ thinking that at one time they would be
I my only means of safety. Every halt
minute an alternate yeEp from my fierce
attendants made me but too certain that
they were in close pursuit. Nearer and
nearer they came; l heard their feet pat
tering on the ice nearer still, until | could
feel their breath and hear their snuffling
scent. Every nerve and muscle in my
frame was stretched TO the utmost TENSION
The trees along the shore seemed tC
dance In the uncertain light, and my brain
turned with my own breathless speed, We
still they seemed to hiss forth their breath
with a sound truly horrible, when an in
voluntary motion on my part turned me
out of my course. The wolves close be-
hind, unable to stop, and as unable to turn
on the smooth ice, slipped and fell, still
going on far ahead; their tongues were
lolling out, their white tusks- glaring from
their bloody mouths, their dark, shaggy
breasts were feeced with foam, and a:
they passed me, their eyes glared, and
they howled with fury. The though
flashed on my mind, that by this means
could avoid them, viz by turning aside
whenever they came too near; for they
by the formation of their feet, are unable
to run on ice, except on a straight line.
! L Immediately acted upon this plan.-
| The wolves having regained their feet
sprang directly toward me. The race wat
renewed Tor twenty yards up the stream
they were already close on my back, wheI
l glided round and dashed directly pas
J my Pursuers. A fierce yell greeted my
evolution, and the wolves. slipping OF
Their launches, sailed on, presenting
perfect picture of helplessness and bafllec
rage. Thus l gained nearly hundred
yards at each turning. This was repeated
two or three times, every moment the AMI