Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1880-01-22

furious plunges she made filled Hen
reich with the greatest anxiety.
One of the wolves was very large,
straight. limbed, and showed q epeed
superior to the rest. More than
once when he sprang out into the
snow, he advanced nearer abreast
the horse than did the others. Upon
this gaunt creature Henreich fixed
his eye, and caught the green light
that played from his eyelids. By
and by the snow became fiatter, and
the huge wolf again sprang aside.
The speed of these animals is extra.
ordinary. and he gained rapidly
Henreich waited until he got just
abreast, when, rising in his seat, he
circled the Ratchet over his head,
and brought it down with the quick
ness of lightning. The head Of the
wolf was cleft in twain, end, with q
dying yelp, he doubled over in the
snow, and was quickly left behind.
One of the dreaded animals was
dispatched +; there were three left,
% furious for blood as ever; and
and these never abated their speed
in the least. Had they got taste
of the blood of their companion they
would have gorged themselves on
MIN before seeking the horse but
he whisked off the stage of life 80
suddenly that they scarcely no.iced
his absence.
The distance from home was rap.
idly diminishing beneath the quick
steps of the mare, which continued
to carry the sled at full speed, until
the fear of overturning became
again a source of anxiety. Hsnreich,
too, had learned by this time, thas
these were no ordinary animals
with which he had to deal, but
sharp set, fiercely courageous and
determined brutes, to which man or
beast would be alike welcome, their
preference, however, as manifested
by their actions, being for horse
flesh. These were not the animals
to be frightened away by the 81 ght
of mans house, and there was a
bad open space between the out
skirts of the forest and Henreich's
house, to which he looked with no
little apprehension.
They had now approached the
very edge of the wood, and the
wolves began gaining on each side.
The terror stricken horse became
uncomfortable, and, bounding ter
rifically forward, caught the sled
againsJ the stump of a tree, over
turned it, and galloped away at
full run, leaving Henreich alone in
the snow. Before he could rise he
felt the brutes clawing at his throat
but his garments wers 80 thick that
he was saved from injury; and, ris-
ing to his feet, he threw them off.
His Ratchet had been jerked out of
his hand as he fell, and he looked
desperately around for it.
BY this time the mare was almost
out of sight and two of the wolves
were upon the defenseless man; and
the other, deserving the animal,
bounded back. Henreich faced the
foremost, and the next moment was
surrounded. The powerful man now
called into play all the strength for
which he was 80 renowned. He
struck furiously at the leaping,
snarling brutes, and flung them off
when they attempted to cling to
him. Had he possessed a weapon
oven q CLUB, it ia not impossible
that ho would have saved himself.
One blow with q club, in his hands,
would have cracked the skull of the
largest brute, and with knife he |
could have ripped them open.
But there was 40 hope, but fight.
ing with his hands. His blood had |
dyed the snow, and the
smell and taste of it made the brutes
Their 1.-the, heavy bodies
we're hurled against him, as if i'm.
PEELED by some power not their own,
and finally they pulled him down.
The sweets of this earth, the mys-
.ery of heaven swept through poor |
Hepreich's mind; nay,in these brief,
.erribIe moments, the particulars
found time to intrude. 1t is often,
very often thus in the hour of death.
He thought how his devoted Mary
would watch throughout the vigil |
how his mangled remains would |
tell his fate In the mornings life's
despair for the mother or the little
ones. All those things rushed throgh |
his brain, and he knew that he him.
self was in the jaws of the wolves. |
Then those foul, lurid eyes glared |
over him the tightening of the
throat followed and thinking was
finished. Still he struggled to re-
lease his arms-the grasp on his |
throat was choking him his senses
reeled /; when, like the whizzing of
a meteor, another hard breathing
animal shot in among the assailants
and fastened itself on the chief. The
wolves for an instant relaxed their
fury Henreich reeled giddy to his
feet and recognized his brave dog.
For q moment he stood bewildered
when he saw the wolf retreating,
and the other two attacking his
dauntless dog. He turned to help
him, and q bright object caught his
eye; 1t was his Ratchet lying on
the snow, within an arms length of
the last terrible struggle. Henreich
snatched it up and was himself
again. His arms were bleeding, but
their giant strength remained. The
next instant he bad split the skull
of one of the wolves, and now he
surged like the mailman that he
was, on the fierce animal that had
borne the dog to the ground. The
first blow laid bare tho gsunt back
bone. the next gave his throat a ter
rible cash, and the third loosened
his grip upon the dog. Still he
struggled fiercely, when Henreich
sprapg upon the animal, and cut,
and hacked, and slsshed until the
animal was minoe meat.
As he arose, hand was on his
shoulder, and turning, hand was
on his bosom.
"Henreich -
"Mary -