Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1873-01-29

man, when the vengeance of Heaven ter
minated his own life, and left him to be
an enduring monument of divine retrlbu-
tion. The peculiar attitude of the two
masses-the one lying PROSTATE, the other
apparently straining toward it's still ap
pealed to by the peasantry in confirmation
of the dismal story and bribe of fifty
roubles would not embolden the bravest
man in the province to approach the fatal
spot after nightfall. Here, therefore, las
if in order that no element of horror might
be wanting to this fearful melodrama), we
took up our post and, covering behind
the fatal boulders, awaited in grim silence
the coming of our mysterious enemy.
Weary, weary work, crouched on the
snow, in cold and darkness, with the bitter
night-air creeping like a palsy through
ones cranped limbs, and ear and eye alike
strained to the utmost, all in vain. Ten
times over, in the course of that dreary
vigil, sesm to hear the distant howl and
patting feet of our awful visitant or to
see its yellow, murderous eyes cleaning
through the ghostly semi darkness that Gu
compass me. To these succeed other and
wilder visions. The grim, halftuman fig
ure, in whose shadow | crouch, seems to
writne and struggle in agony its gaunt
companion rises erect, and strides forward,
with uplitted arm, to act again the deed OF
murder. | see the savage grin OF the one,
the imploring anguish of the other and
the horrible fancy that my comrade is
dead, or paralyzed, and that | am virtually
alone with the living dead, pulses through
me like au electric shock. Hark what
sound is that which comes moaning over
the great waste And there, again and
again; and now clear, and loud and un.
mistakable Not the long, dreary wall of
the prowling wolf, in his unsatisied hun
ger but short, sharp, snarling cry-the
cry of wild beast in full sight of its prey,
and just about to seize it.
" Ready, Pan Anglitchanin; he's COM
ing"
At the sound of that firm, manly voice,
at the actual presence of the long expected
danger, my nerves are steeled once more.
| cock my revolver, and peer warily round
Tue euSc VI lut TOCA. dE OuI Ou lut
great waste of snow, see, in the simmer
ing light Of the hall-clouded moon, a dim
gray shadow gliding toward me, swiftly
and silently, like a spirit of evil. Nearer
and nearer it comes, till can see the long
narrow, cruel head, the fierce yellow eye
the tongue lolling out from between the
sharp white fangs. A moments pause Oh
the ridge above me, bringing its gaunt fig
ure into hideous relief against the sky, and
then down it shoots into the gully, right
past the spot where l lie hid. Crack goes
my revolver, and 4 sharp howl of pair
shows that the shot has told; but before
can fire again, the loud bang of Tchista
renko's gun answers from the right anC
then snarling, worrying noise, which
know only too well. sprang toward the
sound; but at that moment cloud over
cast the moon, and could barely distln
guish confused neap of man and beas
struggling in whirl of spraying snow
and SO mingled together that l dared no
strike, for fear of killing my friend \.
| stood hesitating, a hand suddenly emerg
ed from the shapeless mass there was {
steely CLEAN in the shadowy moonlight ; /
dull plug twice repeated, ike the sounc
Of spade struck into soft earth anC
Tchistarenko sprang to his feet, with 9
long deep gasp, like the first bre th of q
returned diver. At the same moment, tht
moon burst forth again in all its splen dor
lighting up scene worthy of Fusel. Ovel
a back ground Of unending snow, dim anC
spectral as nightmare, the two grea
rocks rose gauntly up in the moonlight
casting shadows more grim and goblin thar
themselves. Below, the black gully yawn
ed like the mouth of a grave but on th
crest of the great drift above it, in th
full glory Of the moonlight, lay hug
gray wolf, stark and dead, its mighty jaw
gaping wide with the gasp of its last ago
ny; and over it stood Tchistarenko. drip
ping blood from fearful wound in hi
> shoulder, but with a light Of stern triumph
on his iron face which | shall never forget
/, /" God be thanked Pan, who delivere
him into our hands See, your ball ha
broken his right tore-paw, and mine a
gone through his neck I'll just put tn
n sign of the cross on him, and then we ca
= 90 in peace he'll do no more harm afte
S that"
: He gashed the VOLTS side crosswise a
he spoke; and, without even stopping t
bandage his own hurt, set off homeward a
such pace that had some difficulty il
keeping up with him. BY singular coir
S cdence, the death of Goorko, the suspect
y ed werewolf, took place that very night
7 and on my return a few months later
: | found Tchistarenkos fame established
throughout the entire province, as the de
a liverer of his people from the fury of tn
. Vov-kulak.
e