The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1877-11-21

notes of exultatlOn, for the leader of tn
pack-the strongest, feetest, hungries
one among them-was within dozel
yards of Allan, who was now riding taste
than ever old Bob had gone before o
ever would 60 again. Excitement mad
the lads blood boil in his veins, and b.
determined to show fight. The moor
had risen, and the scene was almost as
light as day. Now he could count, th'
crowding host of his enemies, and just q
he broke from the forest road into tht
old clearing, he turned in his saddle ant
fred. The foremost of the pack rolled
over and over the rest gathered arount
and tore their leader in pieces.
BY the time they resumed the chase
Allen was hundred yards ahead will
his rifle loaded. He determined to make
a running fight of it to the hill, where ht
was sure of meeting his father, or would
take to a tree and shoot until help came
This had hardly flashed through his
brain when, right ahead of him a de-
tachment of the pack sprang into the
road and answered with double yells the
cries of the rest coming up behind. The
horse wheeled suddenly, almost unseat.
ing Allan, and dashed across the clear.
ing, toward the wood but he had not
taken a dozen bounds when q woli
sprang upon him. Old Bob reared and
fell, pitching Allan nearly twenty feet
ahead, and was covered with wolves be.
fore he could regain his footing. That
was the last Of poor old Bob.
But Allan What of him? When he
recovered from the effects of the shock,
he found himself over head and ears in
snow. He had no idea where he was, but
struggled and plunged in vain endeavors
to extricate himself, until at last he
broke into space that was clear of
snow, but dark as Erebus, damp and
close. Feeling about him he discovered
over his head logs resting slantingly
against the upper edge of a pit, and then
he knew that be was in the cellar of the
old house his father had built, and which
had been burned down nine years be-
fore The cellar was full of snow, ex-
cept at the corner rooted over by the
fallen logs, and Allan, bursting through
the snow into the empty corner, was as
secure from the wolves as though seated
by his fathers freside. 1t was not near
ly as cold in there as outside, and he
found dry spot upon which he lay
down to think.
He was in no danger of freezing to
death, his food would keep him from
starvation week OF least, and Allan con-
cluded that, with the first glimpse of
dawn, his father would be in search Of
him, and, following the tracks, find old
Bobs bones, and quickly rescue him
from his predicament. he reasoned
wisely enough, but the elements were
against him. Before sunrise furious
storm of wind and snow had completely
obliterated every trace of horse, rider
and wolves.
At home, as the night wore on, the
anxiety of the family hal increased.
While they were watching the gathering
storm, they heard the long, dismal howl
of the wolves coming over the hill. The
chill of fear that they should never see
the boy again settled down upona all their
hearts, until the house was as dreary
within as the winter waste and gloomy
forest were without.
Meanwhile the brave youth was sound
asleep, dreaming as peacefully as though
snugly resting with his brother in his
warm bed at home. He slumbered on
of the raging storm without,
and did not wake till late the next fore
noon. It took him several seconds to
realize where he was and how he came
there, but gradually he remembered his
ride for life, the falling of his horse, his
in the snow, and his breaking
into the protected space where he lay.
The storm lasted all day and far into
the succeeding night. Allan ate slightly,
quenched his thirst with few drops of
water obtained by melting snow in the
palm of his hand, and began casting
about for means to get out. He soon
found that to dig his way up through the
mass of snow that filed the cellar was
beyond his powers. If he could have |
made succession of footholds, the task
would have been easy; but all his efforts
only tended to till his retreat, without
bringing him nearer the Dir. As
500 as he saw this, he gave himself up
TO calmly waiting for help from without.
The second morning of his imprison.
ment broke clear and cheerful, and Mr..
Devins set out to search for traces of his
boy. He visited the Inmans' and learn
I'D the particulars of Allan's stay and
departure, then mournfully turned his
lace homeward, his heart filed with
despair. When he emerged. from the
'orest into the clearing, he met the In
lian who had visited him o few days
before, and he told the red man of |
Allan's loss. The Indian stood mo-
nent in deep thought, and then asked:
"No horse, no boy back there?"
pointing to the road just traversed by
Mr.. Devins.
"No. have looked carefully, and if
here had been trace left by the recent
torn I should have detected it..
"Ugh! well, me come over the hill
lothing that way either; then they
lere."
s'Why do you think so ?"
"Ah ! me know wolves. When Allan
ome to this place they ahead; horse
urn; wolves caught 'em this side woods;
ve look there" and Tayenathonto
'ointed to the very course taken by the
lorse and rider.
1t so happened when Allan was thrown
rom the horses back that his rife flew
rom his hand and stuck. muzzle down,
q hollow stump, where, imbedded in
be snow, it stood like sign to mark
he scene of the last struggle of the lost
10Y. The snow had whitened all it's
ither side. When the Indian came
breast of it, he cried:
"Told you 80 Sec Allan's gun
md here rest of EN-" pointing to the
title heap over the ruins of the old
abin.
Kicking the snow hastily aside, the
indian examined the ground carefully
loment and then said: "No, only
orse; Allan further on.
The Indian, with head bent down,
,alked quickly forward, threw up his
rms, and disappeared. He had stepped
yer the clean edge of the cellar and
unk exactly as Allan had. A few
esperate plunges sufficed to take the
trong Indian through the intervening
now and into Unprotected corner where
llan, just rousing from his second
leep, sat bolt upright. The Indians
oning disturbed the snow 80 that a
thinner of light penetrated into the
ark space. Allan supposed wolf had
ound it's way down there, and hastily
rev his large knife, bracing himself for