The Council Bluffs nonpareil. [volume] (Council Bluffs [Iowa]) 1857-1867, 1860-01-14

gloomy shadows shot out Of the surround
ing darkness, and sent up veil which wen
to the heart colder than the breath Of th'
wintry blast. They paid but little attention
to the dim IRE: and seeming their prey
gathered in ehadowy circle beneath Us.
Lash yourself fast boy, and commend
your soul to God, for you will freeze, and
better rot on the tree than be torn BY ,ns
devils.',
'sk's no use," he continued, rs sugges-
ted that the sound Of our guns might reach
the inmates Of the cabin, ssthey would no,
hear 'em in the storm and besides, swear
by the living God that will send come o!
them to h-il before die.''
Blair commenced the deadly work, and as
one Of the wolves fell the others fought
and snarled and gnashed their teeth over
the horrid feast. Their teeth sounded like
the smiting OF steel upon steel. Still they
howlsd more fercely as the slaughter went
on.
"My gun is wet and will not 60" heard
Blair mutter with . curse. damn 'cn,
I'll try them with the axe.''
Ny wildly uttered warning was to late, tor
as il swelled above the sounds below, with
unnatural strength, Blair leaped down with
a shout Of rage and defiance, and with
bis axe and knife fought the pack face to
face.
grew sick at heart as | watched with
burning eyeballs the struggle through the
darkness. could see the black forms
swarming around the trunk, where Blair
had backed up. After the FIRST howl Of joy,
as it seemed to me, when Blair jumped
down, the wolves were less noisy, and ap-
parently more wary, for they seemed TO
realize that they had an enemy to deal with.
madly called to him, aud muttered curset;
as tried to unite the thongs with which
lashed 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.
knew he was mad.
could hear the vice like jaws close con-
stantly around Blair, and now and then his
axe sink with heavy, crounching sound in
to some skull, and then all grew more dim !;
a delicious feeling of happiness crept over
me: the sound Of strife below died out, and
sweet drcnms stole over me like the summers
breath.
The reports Of our rifles had reached the
cabin, which, as afterwards learned, was
not;twenty rods from where we were eamped.
The inmates, numbering some fourteen by
the addition of the emigrants who had stop
ped in the storm, came out with dogs and
guns, and reached the spot but moment
too late. Blair had lodged his axe so deep
" in the head Of wolf that the corners re-
mained fast, and the others tore him down.
They were literally sho. down with their
fangs holding to the torn flesh, and his warm
blood jettng over their shaggy skins. The
mangled body was taken from them, and |
was cut down from the tree and carried to
the cabin.
was all winter recovering from my inju-
ries. The awakening from that drenm of
death was terrible awakening, and l suf-
fered more than pen can describe.
Blair was buried on the edge of the prair.
lie, and when left in the spring the early
flowers were already springing upon his
grave. The old man rests sweetly under the
shadows Of the wide old oak. ..
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 through
the summer, and in the autumn the sister
TGtVtntu Will W - EutTles anu " =
bull. our cabin within sight Of the brothers
grave. The oak is now dead and splinter
cd, and the spot where he died densely GOV.
cred with an underground, whose vines shut
out the light of day, end guard it even from
the football of man or beast. Last
week our dog brought skull, with The wide
cash of an axe hit through the top. Quiet
ly, and without the knowledge Of my wife, |
went and tossed the memcn,o into the
thickest growth Of the place. Wis
f0nSin.