The Sumter banner. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1846-1855, 1852-12-07
AFenra.al Enae;asniesit,

A farmer of La. Madeleine, on
the borders Of Burgundy; who
was surrounded in all directions
by wolves, CHANGING to have q
young colt die, thought it good op-
portunity to lay bait for some Of
his savage enemies, and accordingly,
at night fall, placed it on a truss of
straw in the midst of his farm
yard, surrounded on all sides by
high walls. TO the folding.gates
which led into the yard he had
attached ropes, communicating with
the interior of the house, so that at
any moment it was possible to
close them. Having mussled and
shut up the dogs, to prevent their
barking, tho farme. and his family
took up their post of observation
within doors, to watch the events Of
the night.
1t was not long before he heard
the sound of wolves advancing, and
could perceive them by the light of
the moon, shifting the air at the
entrance Of the yard, evidently at
tracted powerfully by. the tempting
aroma Of horefesh, on the one hand,
apprehensive Of some peril to them
selves if they entered i'll, on the 9TH
er. They moved about apparently
yielding to the power of appetite, and
then again stopped by fear.
At last, one great monster, whose
hunger was keener, or whose cour-
age greater than that of the rest,
bounded onward, seized q portion Of
the prey, and quickly made his re-
treat. with the flesh in his mouth.
Lmboldenei by his impunity, the
rest of the pack entered, and greed
lily seized upon tho CARTON which,
it must be mentioned, the farmer had
heavily weighted, to prevent it's be.
ing carried away. As soon as they
had fairly commenced their feat, the
signal was given, the ropes drawn,
the gates suddenly closed, and the
wolves, eight in number, found them
selves captives, encompassed by
walls too lofty for them to leap, and
without hole through which they
could find exit; walls, in fact, built
for the express purpose of serving as
q barrier against their incursions, aud
therefore equally capable Of serving
as their prison. Seeing their foes
thus secured, the party in the house
retired for the night, deferring fur
ther operrtions till the morning.
At break Of day, they looked up.
on the scene. Their captives were
restless and uneasy. Their sagacity
told them they had been trapped, and
they were running round like rats in
a cage, perpetually searching for
some mode of escape. The farm
er and his men took their firearms,
and stationed themselves, some on
the top Of the wall, and others at
the windows, opened their fire.
They succeeded but slowly in
their work Of destruction. The wolf
is tenacious of life, the men were in.
different marksman, and the difficult.
ty Of hitting the creatures was rem
dered greater by their incessant mo-
ton. Irritated by such wounds as
they had received, they ran hithcr
and thither with mad impetuosity,
and bounded with immense agility in
their efforts either to get at their
assailants, or to overleap the. walls
by which they were imprisoned.
At length one of the party, a
mere youth, in order to take steadicr
aim, bestrode the top of the wall,
his feet hanging down on either
side. A large and powerful wolf,
making adesperate spring, brought
his jaws fcartully near the young
mans foot; who, attempting hur.
riedly to lift his leg out of dan.
ger, lost his balance, and fell head.
long into the court yard beneath. The
wolves were Immediately upon him,
eager to avenge the art that had
ensnared them and the wounds from
which they were smarting. For
a moment CONSERVATION seized the
companions of the poor lad. The
fearful shrek he uttered as he fell,
and the sight of the wolves fastcn.
ing on his throat, paralysed them.
Their first instinct was to cease
firing, for they saw that their bul.
let's might hit the young man. The
farmer was the first to recover his
presence of mind, and with gallant
self devotion, leapcd into the yard to
the rescue, and found himself in the
midst Of eight furious wolves.
His example was followed by the
rest of the party, and a. terrific conflict
ensued. Each side. fought with the
energy of desperation, and The victim
whose mischance had prccipitatcd this
terrible scene lay bleeding and groan
ing in the midst. Mans strength, up