The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1869-07-15
A NIGHTS RUN WITH WOLVES.
BI j. V. WATSON.

house, dignifed with the title Of tavern
where a half dime would purchase as much
Of the raw fluid as any strong man would
dare swallow, OF dime would give him the
addition of corn bread and shakc-down of
straw, for it was always pres,mable that the
guests at this hotel brought their own bed
clothes. in the shape of good Mac<naw
blanket
1t was my luck, at about the time | men-
ton, to be landed on this lIeaven-torsaken
spot, from the good steamer Julia Choteau,
/ in the service of the American Fur Company
all old st. Louis citizens will remember her
well, as they will remember the beautiful
lady she was named after. was bound for
Prairie du Chen, with knick-k -knacEs for the
comfort Of both trapper and Indian.
The breed of hunters and trappers that one
then found at the West has, think, passed
away-the man Of iron frame. who knew
nothing of the meaning of fear, and lived al
most as near nature as the animals he hunted
i who mada- his he'd wherevar the night hap
pened to catch him; who had but one love,
his good rifle and never let that away from
the length Of his arm
There We're few Of that kind with lis that
would accompany the train that was to carry
US and our good, TO the station, and that
night, as we sat about the stout fire that
blazed and roared up the stone chimney of
the tavern, the conversation naturally turned
to hunting scrapes, of which most of the
party had earned experience. At last one Of
them said to me:
Il say, Cap (short for captain), Jim Horne,
here, has got a new game
"What is it, l1orne?" | asked.
''Oh, git out, Cap'n,' answered Horne,
sqnirmn9 about on his bench, 'tain't noihin'.
Bills only trying to stuff ye."
''Why don't yc tell Cap, anyhow?" SAYS
Bill, rather Grossly; ''the things nat'ral, Jim,
an, perhaps, he'd like to take a hand'
L asked Horne again for an explanation,
and got it in this wise:
''Why. Cap'n. You see I've got 4 little sell
on wolves. The pesky varmnts are 50 thick
abouten har, that they acshaliy come right up
to this very door, sometimes, onights. Their
tarnal pelts amt wuth much but when YOU
kin git EN- in Il heap, without much risk.
why they're wuth suthin. So some Of Us
boys, while VIC was Il waitin' for the train to
git ready, llst got up moonlight excursion
| on EN-. We git on span Of putty smart kind
OF ponies, and take that strong sled that's un-
der the shed yandcr, and make cut across
that bit of woods over thar" pointing with
his finger westward with pig in tow"
| "A pig in tow" said. ''What is that?''
"Why, We just take q young pork out Of
Brownsons stable, and hitch ii behind the
sled. One on us drives t'other makes the
/ pig squcal, and the rest shoot Last time we
lost the pork A ro,l9in' old cuss grabbed it
right under onr noses, an that don't pay,
no how
There was something orig elnal in this, and
| thought right away that | would like to try
it, though really not understanding it | said
50 to Horne.
''Do YOU think you can stand it, Cap'n g
My pride was up directly
"stand it," said II guess I'm as able to
stand it rs YOU are"'
"Mehbe So drawled Horne wall, /
don't see any reason we may'nt go out to-
night. The moon'll be up in an hour. Guess
Brownsonll let us have pork. Cal'late he
will if he knows the Cap'n wants it."
I Yes, l said; tell him I'll pay for it.
In an hour the moon had arisen and the
sled was at the door with two fine, stout mus
tangs hitched to it. The snow was in elegant
order, hard and crisp, almost like ice, and
the route that we We're to take was a clearing
about thirty feet wide, right through the for
est for two or three miles, made by the log
gers in getting out timber to run down the
river. The pig was produced, and, until he
was muzzled, showed himself an elegant
squealer, SO much SO, that was afraid he
would bring the ''pesky varmints." as Horne
( called them on us before the time
| AlCCu llitiulcS put us we'll lllSluc inc WOOD,
but the moon shone so bright, and the rehec-
ton was so strong on the snow, that we had
no more difficulty in seeing every object than
at monday. The pig was unmuzzled and be-
gan to slueal. Our party consisted Of Horne
and myself, Bill Waller, the first commune
cant Of the idea to me. Brownson's bov, to
make the pig squeal, and a tall. cast iron,
/ halt-breed, whom we only knew by the name
Of Bob. Waller was to drive, Horne myself
and Bob would do the shooting.
My eyes were everywhere, and | caught
sight Of the first wolf. He was well in among
the trees, not approaching us, but with his
long stridng gallop, keeping pace with u,
In few minutes he was Joined by another,
began tc close upon us in dozens, rising, as
it We're out Of the very ground Above the
squeal OF the pig. Horne shouted for me tc
reserve my fire. | confess that I turned an
easy glance at Waller, as the beasts closed in
upon us, Tor the horses We're getting restive
and uneasy and every now and then the sled
would strike a stump that would make il
quiver all over. I knew that in his hands
We're our lives, and that an upset-and the
chances were that the morning would show
nothing but some of our larger bones, the
smaller ones, with the rest of our mortal
frames would be in the stomachs of the pack
At last, and it seemed hours where it was
only minutes, Horne gave the word to fire
The foremost We're within dozen feet of Us,
and three went down. The shot was like
firing into a flock of birds; with the clearing
away of the smoke, half the pack was gone
and the others hesitating on their path They
did not hesitate long, bur in three minute,
had swelled to treble their original number
Their long barking howl was heard on every
side, and above it occasionally, l could heal
the voice Of Waller speaking soothingly tc
his horses, who We're nearly mad with terror
Now began the slaughter, and every shot
seemed to tell but yet the pack grew larger
and larger, their long noses almost touching
the sled at times, and their red eyes, dull and
steady, glared into our very faces At one
time they seemed to spread like a crescent
behind us, at another they trailed in long
line, and as quickly changed, until they were
on every side, sometimes even up with the
horses. AT this moment, as they began to
stretch ahead of the sled, heard Horne, as
though speaking to himself, say:
"By gracious. never seed 50 many of the
critters before
| thought at that moment what would be-
come Of us if one of our horses were to fall,
or any accident happen that would stop our
progress We would not have time to take