The Orangeburg news. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1867-1875, 1874-05-09


but myself. Every now and syin, I'd
mix myself little grog, till the rum was
all gon G, and then / began to feel m ost
evorlastiu' slsepy;so ] thought I'D jest
lay down awhile, on big pile Of shaw
ings there was in one corner of the
barn Well, squire, 1 dropped off, as
you may suppose ;and guess it we're
long of what Daye5Shunyser said got
to dreaminh about wolves, till at last,
blame me- if didn't dream there was
ono in. the barn hutin' about jest like u
dog, smiffin' here AID there. till ut last
he came to the pilefot shavings where
was.
'Well, squire, | can't call to mind
how woke exactly, but the fust thing
| remember / was sittin' right up Oh
the pile oc shavings, tryin' t, make out
as we'll as | could in the dark if there
was anything in the barn or 1T. 1t was
about a minute before I could see clear
ly but ut last heard slight rustic,
and thought I saw sometkiin move
Thinks l, ,hat's Dave Shunyssr, orsomc
of the boys, ceae back to. .frishtcn me
They shan't have itto crow over c,e. So
| sings out, Is that you, Dave p There
was no answer, but heard rusolin'
and uatter jest like, dogs paws, and
1 could see the crittef, whatever it was,
crawlin' towards the gap in the boards
Then it stopped, and kinder turned its
head, and I cotched sight of two tWink
lin lights, and, thinks I, it's stray
dog when the critt,r give spring out
Of the barn, and sot up howl.
Squire, I shouldn't have been scared
with one wolf, but that howl was an
swered from the woods, maybe quarter
Of mile off, by another, which 1 know
cd could only have ebme from pack of
not less than fifty hungry beasts. Well,
squire, 1 was awful scared, and that's a
fact; but I guess dfI'd a lost my pre-
seucc of mind, it would ha' been all up
with me in about FIVE minutes. know
ed hadn't rnom5nt to lost, cause l
hesrea the howl c.s in' nearer and near
scrs; and .l,e sa.s incl
VIM outside Gaming them to their prey
My first idea was to set FIRE to the shaw
ings. out with my flint and steel
but the spu"k wouidn't light, sni not
one Of the sh avings would cotch. The
howls kept comm uigher and higher
Then | begin to think | was gone
There was an axe i'll the barn, but what
could do agin fifty woi Yes =? and in the
dark, where they couldn' sec ray eyes
to daunt them.
/ clenched it, however, and deter
mined to sell my life dearly, when all to
oncet, just when I'D given up all hope,
| felt something touch agin my head it
was rope as had been fast to one Of
the raftcrs. l guess, squire, if that ere
rope had ben foot shorter, I'd not
been here now tellin' this story! The
way l went up that rope, hand ovor
hand, was caution. And I'd barely
swung myself on the rafter, and began
lashin' myself to the beam with the rope,
when, squire-it makes my blood run
cold to tell of 1.-THE barn was alive
with wolves, yclpiu leapin', and falla
over each other. / could hear them
routin' among the Shavinss; and in
minute they had them all spred over the
barn floor. Then they began to muzzlc
in tho earth and scratch up the mould
with their paws.
'At last one Of en- scented me, and
told the others with yolp. Then, of
all tho yells ever heard .-sIuir..
most swooncd away aud If hadn',
lashcd myself to the raitcr, Id ha' fell
right dowo among EN-. Oh, such yell
| never hecrd afore, and hope I'll never
hear agin Thoush | knowel they
c uldu get Mt me, it was drce'lfu to be
there alone il the dead o! the night.
with pack Of hungry wolves lick in
their alaverin jaws, and thirstin for my
blood Thoy ran round and round the
barn, aud leaped on to oach others
backs, and sprang into tho air but it
was no use and at last began to get
kinder easy, and Looked down on the
howlin varminss, and bantcrcd them
Squire, you'd ha' thought they I'm Ter
stood Il feller. Every time | holcrel