The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1878-04-26
FRONTIER sKBTOHEs.---NO. 8.
BY y. o. :. REDNA.

i Travelled briskiy forward during tue
day, determined to put as much terri
tory between me and the Indian village
as possible, and at night lay down to
sleep with only the scant grass for q
bed. A darker night 1 never expert
eneed; no moon, no stars were to be
seen; DO distant fires illumined the
horizon in any direction, aud not even |
a friendly freely deigned to stripe with 1
variety thecurtains Of that dismal night. /
Fatigued as l was, l must soon have /
fallen into oblivious slumber, had not /
the sepulchral stiffness suddenly been /
broken by the narrowing screams Of /
pack Of gaunt and hungry wolves. One
of these sneakiDg scavengers OF the
desert, perched but few feet from me,
first broke forth in a shrill nasal wall,
and sliding down the chrOmatic scale
an octave or more, began with sharp
staccato to skip about, till scores Of
others, hidden by the black darkness,
Joined their diseordant voices in hideous
refrain; then all the grating clangor
rolled and Jared and swelled upon the
midnight air, to be echoed and Te-echOed
by environing cliff and crag back upon
my tortured ears. Nor did they cease
to pipe forth their execrable notes
"Unul the morn, with rosy hand, unbarred
the gates OF light"
Often did I see their eyeballs glaring
like balls of fire but few PAGES from
me, or hear with a siekening sense of
I helplessness the ominOus grinding Of
their savage jaws, as though whetting
their fangs for immediate use. And
once during the night, while probably
quarreling over the division of my car
cass, they came tumbliug with soul
chilling snap and snarl so near my bed
that speedily erept to one side, shud-
dering.
But morning came at last, and con-
tinued forward on my trackless way,
Notwithstanding l realized, from the
experiences Of the past night, that my
Journey was fraught with dangers OF
which 1 had not thought before at
tempting it. expected to suffer from
hunger, thirst, and fatigue; 1 expected
to be exposed to the furious storms OF
that wild region, and to run the gaunt-
let Of unrelenting savages as l traversed
an unknown extent of inhOspitable
wilderness; but it never entered my
mind that if should fall asleep at night
should be devoured by prowling
wolves. But my motto was "liberty ol
DEATH" and 1 determined to brave
every danger necessary to secure the in
: estimable boon of freedom.
ri Late in the day l was surprised to Sc,
a seurvy-looking dog come whining ui
, to me. He was miserable-lookini
cur, neither wolf nor dog, aud his home
less, famished, and forlorn condition
, would have protected him from th
: operation of any code Of dog laws nov
: in existence. l had had, to say th
,, least, toleration Of vagrant canine
q from my boyhOod, and at divers time
had innocently furnished specimens {
the genus CAMS for my good father
q exercise his inordiuate bump of d,
% structiveness upon, aud when this rel
% |resentative Of an oppressed race cam
, so humbly suing for protection an
a companiouship, my old instinct asserte
itself, and proceeded at once to bestO
10 upon him liberal share Of my meagt
! store Of dried meat. Stopping 500
., after, sought to cultivate the acquain
- ance Of my new companion. His cOur
tenance betokened little intelligence {
= amiability, nor was his appearance i
- any way particularly prepOssessini
= Uncanny as was his exterior, howeve
= his moral nature proved even more III
lovely; for no sooner did essay TO la
- my hand caressingly upon his SCARE
-, back than with angry growl he brougt
his lank jaws together with the energ
of a steel-trap, in uncomfortable prom
!. unity to my fingers. I was tempted
try next TO touch his heart with one (
my arrows, but fear of losing a valuabl
y arrow upon so worthless a brute turne
the scales of mercy in his favor.
The following night, though slighte
by my serenaders, the heavens got u
an entertainment on so magnificent
scale that | could not complain; Il
never before had seen such blindiu
, sheets Of lightning, nor heard such col
tinued heavy rattling peals Of thunde
10, Never can l forget the early part Of th'
- awful night. The lightning appeare
:. to be playing around me on all side
- while deafening peals of thunder SCENE
is to rise from the very bowels Of the eartl
= and then muttered away in the distanc
80 as though rejoicing at their escape frot
- Pandemonium. The rain literally pour,
- down for an hour, as though Niagai
% herself were weeping over the desol
- ton that pervaded that God-forsake
!, realm. All, me, how different the rea
ity from the enchanting fancies tn
my Imagination had conjurej up befo
| left the paternal roof. l did not fiji
myself calmly sitting far above Il
storm kings rage, on some grand mou
tain, contemplating with admiratiC
and awe the lightning's flash and thu
der's crash, but lying, instead, ha
ty buried in the mud, blinded and stunne
I'D by the side Of lOet dog.
on When morning came, bright al
le- IcIondless 7 doubt Vhether a mara mi