Centre Hall reporter. [volume] (Centre Hall, Pa.) 1868-1871, 1871-01-06

Against these midnight marAudaEsl
the Russian muiik has various resources
the trap, the pitfalI, the inseparablt
iopor, or short axe. deadly weapon "
such hand but the programme OF
regular "wolf hunt IN the provinces
IN always the same. AT some abnormal
hour between the night and the day.
I you are aroused almost. as * seems, ber
fore yoR are well asleep from O rough
couch in one OF the little log.huts ol
some outlying village, by violent shake
OF the shoulder, and hoarse voice nd
moniahing You to "get up, and look
sharp about ID for there's NO time u
lose. " You make hasty toilet, and sal
lying forth, see in front of the hut in
the dim light Of the coming morning, q
huge dark, shapeless mass which. as
your eyes get used 10 tho darkness,
assumes the form of a broad, heavy,
! three-horse sledge, with very high sides,
not unlike an enormous washing-tubl,
around which are flitting three or four
spectral figures with lanterns, the hitful
glare making their grim bearded faces
look grimmer and less human than ever.
Guns ammunition, haversacks, are. stow
ed away In the bottom of the conveyance
and last, but not least young pig
your query respecting which elicits from
the leader of the party only the eraoular
answer that "itN come in hand hy-and-
| by y and all being now ready, the
hunters squeeze themselves into their
I places, the driver shakes his reins with a
Wo-o-oi r and away we 90 into the
darkness Mile after mile OF the frozen
waste goes by like dream, till at length
spectral shadows of the forest slowly
gather round US, and the squeals Of our
unlucky pig Whose ears one of our party
is now pinchng Justify begin DO be
answered by another sound, which no
one who has once heard il viii easily
forget-not the long melancholy howl
wherewith supperless wolf may be
heard beinoaning himself on the out
skirts OF Moscow. almost any night IN
the week, but quick snArling cry, as Of
one who sees his dinner coming, and
wishes to hasten the bringer of il. And
there they come at last, the gaunt. wiry,
slouching fellows, with their buEhy tails,
and fat narrow heads. aud yellow, THE
wish, murderous eyes. There is perhaps
nothing on earth more thoroughly mean
and hatcful-looking, at first sight, then
the genuine Russian wolf; but the
rascal has certain picturesqueness of
his own, notwithstanding, though OF
] dsagreeable kind. There is something
grind in the dogged and sinister tenacity
of its parsuit coming ON, with head
throrn forward, and sharp white fangs
unshaAthed, untiringly and unralent-
ingly, like hunting Fate, al
VIA his long EaiioP. which eAH taro
The heund's desp bate and hunters Are
But there is no leisure for moralising
now; for the wolves are almost level
with our sledge, and il is time 10 let fly.
Bang The foremost Of the pack rolled
over on his side, kicking ecnvulsively
but the rest gallop ON, unheeding
Bang bang and two more fell dead,
hlotung the snow around them with a
smear Of dull crimson Some of the
boldest pursuers swarm up 20 the sledge.
and attempt to leap over the encircling
barrier; while we hammer them with
the butt-ends Of our pieces, and chop at
their paws with hRtchets. and slash them
across the eyes with hunting knives
the two hind most OF our party mean
while cracking at them over our should
ers as fast as they can load So for
time the running-hght goes hercely on,
making altogether very striking tahleau.
The white skeleton tFarery OF the frozen
forest; the long snaky hne Of the
pursuing pack, shRdowy and spectral, as
il bodied Of the mist from which il
emerges; the whirling figures Of the
foremost wolves amid the tossing spray
Of snow and curling clouds of blush
smoke the ceaselesS fash Of the busy
rifles the steaming horses. urged 10
their utmost speed the driver, with his
broad sallow face all ablaze with excite
ment, shaking the reins, and hanging
forward 10 ply the whip; the huge,
cumbrous sledgc, rocking and reeling
over the snow with its freight OF strug-
Cling forms all this, seen in the dim,
uncertain hight Of the early dawn. has q
weird and ghostly Appearance, sugges-
tive OK an attacf OF goblin bighwaymen
upon one OF those phantom mail-coaches
in which the bagman's uncle made that
marvellous journey which 40 much
astonished Mr.. Pickwick. But .ethe pace
Ia too stiff to lhst, INV our leader observes
with o knowing grin. A run az fun
speed through half-frozen snow trics the
feet OF even full grown wolf too severely
to be continued beyond a certain time !;
and, in the face OF stout resistance. the
beasts Inherent cowardice il sure 10
come 10 the surface sooner or later.
Already. three or four ga,int, shaggy
haired veterans, who had probably made
a good supper overnight, begin 10 hang
back, as il doubling the wisdom of risk
ing their lives for Hypothetical break
fast the speed Of the rest slackens by
degrees and at length the whole pack
drop of, as Il by tacit agreement, ieav-
ing us to pass our way unmolested. AS
we emerge again into tho open plain,
across which the first beams of the rising
sun are Just beginning 10 fall, we see the
last OF our grim followers sinking away
like belated spectre into the ghostly
shadows OF the forest that we have quit
ted. lues4aal sj-t. hq' asl =
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