The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1869-02-10

! 70 Oc Two IT lHfee Bultlll moving SHADOWS, l.
| looked to the right and heheld more of the
same kind and on all sides we now heard
] those long, dismal hOwls by which one wolf
calls to another, and knew they were gath
ering in force, and would soon be around
us. ..-ri tl,,f., -.-.,...- -,..-fl
Our chained hog continued his plaintive
| cries, and the wolves fell in behind, and
| pressed forward, till they came up within
| fifty yards, where, for time, their timid
| ity seemed to hold them As their NUM-
| bors increased, which they did, every min
| ute-the beasts at times appearing TO spring
from the earth IN a mysterious way-their
boldness increased also; and they gradually
] grew nearer and nearer, swapping, snarling
and growing, and so frightening our horses
that The driver had much difficulty in hold
ing them down to reasonable pace. - =
Now then, gentlemen, said the Count,
.9et Us begin or sport; and Heaven send US
q safe deliverage from its peTils ~ -
With this he fired two shots at the row of
| fiery eyes behind US. Asharp yelp followed
and one of the animals began 10 limp and
fall back; wheEeupon the others, perhaps
smelling his Flood, sprang furiously upon
MIN tore him to pieces, and deyouned him
in almost the time il takes me 10 tell it, In.
two minutes more the hungry beasts were
pressing forward more eagerly than ev er
| / fired next, and brought down another,
| which was alspItorn TO pieces and deFOuBed
in less than minute; and then the furious
beasts again drew nearer, and IN stu larger
/ numbers i'1' ''t'-'-' -''s-i- . --A- - "a
From This moment the animals increased
with startling rapfditN For more than an
hour we loaded and fired as fast as we could
and for every one shot, it appeared to me
] as if there was q half dozen to take its
place. Embeldened by numbers and a taste
of blood, they pressed up closer and closer,
till we could almost reach them, the fore
I most bounding around and swapping at the
poor hos which was terrified now almost to
death, and exefted himself to the utmost to
escepe from their sharp fangs. up l.sE g
! Up to this moment l had been so busily
engaged and so excited with sport, as to
| give no thought of our own danger but
now, I confess, beganto feel very uneasy,
not to say alarmed. Where had all these
| beasts come from, and what was to be the
end of the gatherings 1t seemed as if all
Russia had poured them out on the spot.
/ There must have been a thousand-perhaps
five times that nuTpber-fOr i could not
count them. They had arranged themselves
In the form of crescent, the center of the
arc resting on the hog, and the two wings
j reaching forward in the rear of the horses,
(which snorted with fear, and required all
the skill of the driver to hold them, 1t was
Wild, impressive sight, with Just enough
of danger TO make il sublime. The heavens
were clear the moon round and full, the
plain almost dead level, the snow as white
as milk bright and glistening, with here and
there a thin, light covering, over hard
! crust, that heecy cloud, like the fine spray
of waterfall; and over this weq were
dashing with three fiery horses abreast, and
Il blocl- rOlliDo plOud rEOixyaS tba riuhf
left and rear of us, in the form of a cres-
cent, their keen eyes looking like; so many
little balls of fire. We were all standing up,
loading and firing, the Count directly to the
resr, and his friend and myself to the right
and the left! ig55lIgfsai gnG-sIi nrlss't 81
AS have said, began to feel somewhat
alarmed, for / saw that should any accident
happen, such as the fall of one of the horses
or the upsetting of the troika, we could
scarcely hope 70 get off with life but did
not like to mention my fears to persons who
had so much experience as my companions.
AT last, seeing that matters were steadily
becnning worse instead of better, and that,
great as were the number of our foes, they
were still increasing, I @ ventured to say,
'Count these rayenous beasts are pressing
us very close. "a -oa i ll'o
fIndeed they are ~ he replied, taking q
quick, keen survey of the whole scene.-
''They are getting pretty well forward, tool !"
| he pursued with an anxious glance toward
the horses. 81 confess I don't Ike that.
What do you say, Paul 2'' he added, ad-
| dressing the driver. go C3ZJBG sZGTIe y 8.
''My IoEd.I find it very difficult to man
age the horses"
fDo you think we are in any very serious i4otii5
danger now, PauIf''sI -3o- 7ai'- bGa erlH
Il don't like to see the beasts lcreepingl
so far forward, my lerd.n risrfs y,. e33s -
'tNOrI, and think we had better knock
oyer few of the foremost. -
% WeuogE, by the Count s. advice directed
our fire at9the two horns of the crescent;
but though we shot, down the foremost with
great rapidly, and continued to do So until
our guns became heated I could not per
eeiVe that itthinned them in the least or had
any good effect. We broke their regularity,
and threw them into confusion, it is true;
but this so far from being an advantage to
us, fancied worked ssainst ais, by causing
them to become bolder, and press up around
us still closer. 2li vi fti-st3---c .asH
M sTBy my faith at length exclaimed the
Count, In q tone that betrayed some degree
of alarm; d we must get out Of this soon,
or the beasts win be upon IsH dneFe4e saw
so many before in my life and / have shot
ill am tired. Letme see.9 e:fnust have
fred three hundred times apiece; and allow
ing that only every other, shot was effeetuaL,
we must have brought do%n, say i've hun
dred wolves; and yet they are here, closing
countless legion One trip, one stumble,
iOne tilt and we are gone How now,
Paul. my brave hdZhow are you going to
get Us out Of thisf''ni ia1te3I3d Zf3noiInls
- tEBy giving the horses Their heads and
letting them take steady turn to the left, q
so as to change the position Of the whole
body of pursGers at once. .ooLiqs 1s4o-1 2aI
ttAre you sure of the Snimalsi"a 1aaBboI 4
81 think can trust them" " . 'ii1il-Si'a7D
ttAnd the troika, PanlY' n91s ~ GoS3ts7i
I 81 shall do my best, trusting to Heaven,
my lord r think the risk far less than ri
Idihg as we are. 'hili'lil Siii fo 500 y 9'.l -
rs FaThen save Us at your viii, Paul, and
look to me for handsome reward when
you 81 all hAve put us safe within the castle
yates ini31 4nahI}a5fliE iaEolDii-e1OJ aGi II
rH The next few moments were exciting be
} soAd anYt hing ever experienced q in my
rlifeiI The driver shook athe reins, gave a 1
peculiar chirp and whistle, and onf noble |
steeds, as anxious to escape as Yourselves,
sped away like the wind. fairly held my
breath, feeling that crisis had come inFOIY-
ing -Hfel6r death. e. Away, away we flew u
the Keen air cutting our faces, the light !
snow binding our eyes, and the little troika |
bounding over the glittering surface like a
gallant boat on the foani-erested billows.
I watched the darKening cloud of living an |
iuiais, with lollIng tongues and eyes Of fire
and saw, with q feelingof Joy that cannot /
express, thai they were slowly but percepti-
bly, falling behind that we were gaining on /
them-inch by inch, it was true but still /
gaining on them. If the noble horses could
lDut hold out at this speed, ahd no accident I
should befall us We were all bfeathiess /
with intensity of feeling 4tfe single chifpil
or sharp whistle of our driver being the only /
human sounds that issued ffom our paftysi 4
e Gradually the horses began to turn, 1slow4s I
" turn in broad circle 70 the left, so as to-
flank the horn of the crescent. Ass we came Il
gracefully round, so as ina measure to face
our snRrlihg pursaefs, surprise and fear for
q moment threw them into confdsiong I'm Si
pulsively they parted, ana suffered us to +
pass their dense ranks and gain q hOmeWartidE
start bsfofe getting a. clear eo1Mpfe eH6nsi6n
that we were actually escsplng and leaxihS
them behind Then, sw1tA load aagFy tSellsS7F /