Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1860-01-20
Blair dropped his head and thrust his flu

remembered no more until the morning
broke. and the sun smiled through the trees
upon the terrible scene. It was horrible
The ground was torn and stained with dark
spots, where pools of blood had sunk away
Seven long black bodies lay around, gashed
by the axe, SONS of them glazing fercely as
they fell; their tongues thrust out, aud the
white fangs cleaning fearful in their open
jaws. The axe itself lay within reach, red
with blood its entire length, Ny own arms
were also stained, and still damp. But
God Of mercy! worse sight than al this
met my gaze of returning Consciousness
Tightly in nay arms was holding the head
Of my wife, her form bare, and limbs torn
into shredss X
The old man scbbed con vulsively; SID
wrung his hands until it seemed that the
blood would start from his fingers.
"Coming!"
Again. and nearer than before, the dis
NAL howl rose above the storm. The camp
fire burned dimly in the binding storm Of
snow. and sense of loneliness and terror
came over the spirit darker than the sky over
head.
"Here take this said Blair, as he hand
ed me the locket, 'and if you survive, car
ry it to, New York, and will thank
you: Boy, / am not afraid to die. Death
will be rest, and [ shall see Maria. We
must take to the tree. tits freeze, or death
by the wolves Quick, boy Good bye!"
l felt the hot tears drop on my hand as
the old man pressed his quivcring lips upon
it, and then pushed on towards the trees
VS. had need to be quick, fer we had
hardly reached the brahches when score
of long. gloomy shadows shot out Of the
surrounding darkness, and sent up yell
which went to the heart colder than the
breath of the wintry blast. They paid but
little attention to the dim fire, and scenting
their prey, gathered in shadowy circle be-
heath ;ts.
clash yourself fast, boy, and COM mehd
your soul to God, for you will freeze, and
better to rot on the oak than to be torn by
the devils"
s'It's of no use," he continued, as I sug-
gested that the sound of our guns might
reach the inmates of the cabin, ''they would
not hear 'em in the storm, and besides, l
swear by tie living Cod, that will send
some of them to h-ll before I aie''
Blair commenced his deadly work, and
as one of the wolves fell the others fought
and snarled, and CRASHED their teeth over
the horrid feast. Their teeth sounded like
the shifting of steel upon steel. Still they
howled more fercely as the slaughter went
On.
"My gun is wet, and will not CO." l
heard Blair mutter with curse. damn
Penn I'll try them with the axe'
My wildly uttered warning was too late,
for. as it swelled above the sounds below,
with unnatural strength Blair leaped down
with shout of rage and defiance, and with
his axe and knife fought the pack face to
face.
I grew sick at heart as I watched, with
burning eye-balls, the struggle through the
darkness. I could see the black forms
swarming around the trunk where Blair had
backed up. After the first howl of joy, as
it seemed tome, when Blair jumped down,
the wolves were less noisy, and apparent
more wary, for they seemed to realize that
they had an enemy to deal with. I madly
called to him, and muttered curses as tri-
ed to unite the thongs with which I had LASH
ed myself to the trunk.
"Ha, ha! glorious sport here, boy: an
other devil the less ~ and his maniac laugh
and shout came up scarcely less startling
than those of the wolves around him. l
knew that he was mad
/ could hear the vice-like jaws close con-
stantly around Blair, and now and then his
axe sink with heavy, crunching sound in
to some skull, and then all grew more dim
delicious feeling of happiness crcpt over
me like the Summers breath. The reports
of our rifles lad reached the cabin, which,
as ! afterwards learned, was not twenty rods
from where we camped. The inmates,
numbering some fourteen, by the addition
of emigrants who had stopped in the storm,
came out with dogs and guns and reached
the spot but moment too late. Bair had
lodged his axe so deeply in the head of a
wolf that the corners remained fast. and the
others tore him down. they were literally
shot down with their fangs holding to the
torn flesh, and his warm blood letting over
their shaggy skins. The mangled body uas
snatched from them, and I cut down from
the tree and carried to the cabin
/ was all winter recovering from my in
juries. The awakening from that dream of
death was terrible awakening, and T suffer
ed more than pen can describe.
Blair was buried on the edge of the prai-
RE, and when left in the Spring, Che ear
ly flowers were already springing upon his
grave. The old man rests sweetly under
the wide shadow of the old oak
l carried the locket to its destination
The sister clutched it eagerly, and thanked
ME, though her heart almost broke under
the stroke remained in New York thro'
the Summer, and in the Autumn the sister
with me to -- Prairie, and
We built our cabin within sight of the broth
er's grave. The oak is now dead and splin-
tered, and the spot where be died densely
covered with an underground, whose Vines
shut out the light of day, and guarded it
even from the football of man or beast. Last
week our cog brought out skull, With the
wide cash of an axe hit through the top
Quietly. and without the knowledge of my
wife, / went and tossed the melnento into
the thickest growth of the rlace.-Dai7y
Wisconsin.