Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1852-03-04
4 Night with the Wolves.

4 The settlers Of New England were
l1ot unfrequently incommoded by the
numbers and ferocity Of the wolves
which prowled around their rude
settlements. The hunter easily over
4 powered them, and with one dis
charge Of his musket scattered them
from about his dwelling, They fled
from the timid child, in the broad
! glare Of day-b butin the thick and
solitary night, far away from the
dwelling Of man they were terrible
from their fendish and fes ocious ap-
ipetite for blood | have he lard a fear
! ful story of the wolf from the lips of
some of the old settlers Of Vermont,
which l will relate to You. in the lam
guage of one Of the Witnesses Of
| the scene.
Twas a night of Janua ary, in the
year l7G3. We had been to a fine
quilting frolic, about two. miles. from
our settlement of foar OF five log
houses. Twas rather l4te-there
was no moon-and a dull gray shadow
or lhze hung all around the horizon,
while overhead few pale and sick
Iy looking stars, gave US d dull light
rs they sbone through a dingy cur
tain. There were SIX Of tus in COM
panyJ Harry Mason and myself, and
four as pretty girls as eyergrew uponf
the side Of the Green Mquntains.--
There were my two sisters, and Har1
ry'S sister, and his sweetheart, the
daughter of ohr next door neighbor
She was a right down handsome girl
that Caroline Allen. | never saw
her equal, though ! am no stranger
to pretty faces. She was So pleasant
and kind Of heart-so gentle and
sweet spoken, and so intelligent be-
sides, that every body loved her
She had an eye as blue as the hill
violet, and her lips were like red
rose leaf in June. No wonder then,
that Harry Mason loved her boy
though he was, fer we had neither Of
.us.seen orr seventeenth summer.
Our path lay through a thick forest
of oak, with here and there tail
pine rising gits dark full shadow against
the sky, with. an outline rendered
indistlnct by the darkness. The
snow was deep deeper q great deal
than it ever falls of late years-but
the surface was frozen strongly
enough to bear our weight, and We
hurried on over the white pathway
with rapid steps. We had not pro-
ceeded far before long low howl
came to our ears. We all knew it
in moment, and eoula feel a shud-
der thrilling the arms that were fold
ed close to my own-9 sudden cry
burst from the lips pf all-"the
wolves-the wolyes" II
Did you ever see a wild wolf
not one of your Gagged, broken down,
show animals, which are exhibited fol-
sixpenee. a sight, children half price
but fierce half starved ranger Of
the Wild forest, bowling and hurry
ing over the barren snow, actually
mad with hunger? There is no one
of Gods creatures which has such a
fnghtful, fendish look as this animal.
1t has the form as well as the spirit
of demon. Another, and another
howl-and then we could hear dis
tinctly the quick patter Of feet be-
hind us. We all turned right about
and looked in the direction Of the
sound,
@The devils are after US" said
Mason, pointing to a line Of, dark
gliding bodies. And SD in fact they
were; awhole troop of them; howllng
like as many Indians ln a pow-wow.
We had no weapon of any kind; and
we knew enough of theinature of the
vile creatures who followed us to feel
that it Suld be uselcs IS to contend
With tben, There was not moment
to lose; the savage bea asts we're close
upon us. To attempt flight would
have been hopeless affair. There
was butone chance of escape and we
instantly seized upon it. :.
aTo the tree! let US climb this tree.
| 1 cried, spnnging forward to a low
boughed and gnarled oak, which !
saw at a glance might be climbed IN
to.
! Harry Mason sprang lightly into
the tree and aided in'placlng the ter
rifed girls in a place Of comparative
security among the thick houghs--
/ was the laA on the ground, and