The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1876-04-27
RIDGWAY, ELK COUNTY, PA, THURSDAY,

darted away with shrill neigh Of fear,
and I guided them-beginning to re.
cover myself-in an opposite direction,
while Terror, my noble hound, stood up
with every fang barred and every hair
erect, waiting for the enemy he had al
ready scented.
If my good horses had gone on so ad-
mirably at first, they sped off now like
arrows from the bow, for the madness OF
fear added wings to their speed, as that
of hunger did to the painting pursuers.
1 was growing cool. Lota was pale and
calm. 1 felt proud of her, though it
was certain If we escaped not speedily
the brutes would run us down; and
then, herror of horrors, what fate for
herl
had two rifles. revolver, ammuni-
tion, q spear, and wood-hatchet in the
sleigh. L conveyed my intention to
Lota.
"Can you load these weapons with
those cartridges2" I asked.
eyes," was the answer; and she load
ed Fuller" and " Manton with
true hunters skill. 1 took one rifle,
looked back, the pack was increasing.
1 fred and Lota loaded; and one after
another fell, to be devoured by their
ravenous comrades; and still the horses
sped On.
The accursed things were, for all this,
gaining ground. Doubts, fears, hopes,
trembling, were at my heart as turned
to the swe girl whose life or death were
all to me, and said
"Lota if we die together, remember
that loved you-none but you tell
it to you now, if 1 may never again."
"Kill me first" she whispered "I
hear your words-I echo them. You
have my my heart, Richard -
"Oh, Lota, best beloved, what mo-
ment to confess and I know not if /
feel pain or gladness most"
"There are no secrets between us, 3"
said Lota, smiling. "Take this rifle !;
give me-the pistol one kiss-so |
they come. Save me from them at any
cost"
L thought my ears would have split at
their dreadful yells, for they were now
upon us, opening out to surround us /;
and though the horses held bravely on,
I dreaded every instant that sheer terror
would paralyze them. 1t is scarcely
possible to conceive the unutterable
horror that was circling us both;
young lovers with beating hearts for
ever from that hour interchanged with
each other.
With lolling tongues, eyes of flame,
hoarse, deep growls, they had ceased to
bay and howl they We're closing in upon
us. L remarked one huge monster in ad-
vance Of the rest; his object evidently
being to leap into the sleigh from be-
hind. / fired-and missed him The
next moment his huge bulk came scram-
bling over the back his paws were on
me his fiery breath on my cheek and
1 expected, as 1 murmured short
prayer, to feel the fangs of the abbor.
rent brute in my flesh. A flash "a
crash Ia gush of blood-and the crea
ture tumbled backward, shot through
the throat to the spine by my brave
Lota Then piled hatchet, and split
skull after skull, while the sleigh tore
on but I was giving up all hope, and
turning round-oh, Heaven! to spare
my darling more hideous fate-when
shots and shouts rang around, and troops
of dogs and hunters came swiftly to our
aid-and We were saved Providence
had directed the sleigh to "Windy
Gap )" our firing reached the ears OF
our friends, and brought them out in
hot haste to aid us. We were saved
And as 1 bore her fainting form into the
hospital hall, and clasped her tenderly
to my breast, you may guess how sincere
was the gratitude breathed in silence
to Heaven.
1t was the prelude to a wedding,
which occurred soon afterward; and you
may be sure I never forgot my fight
with the wolves, how pluckily my noble
Lota backed me, or the somewhat origi-
nal but apropos mode in which 1 told
nv love.