Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1881-10-20

Il.
"Nudcjo was too deeply preoccupicd to
pay tho slightest attention to the horses;
but |, who knew their hobi:s felt singularly
moved | began to foresco somc extraor-.
dinary incident.
"At the samo time old KosIo appeared
to me to experience painful feeling. lie
looked behind him several times, then he
listened with attention, aud afterwards ho
gave the rein to tho horses who followed
their instinct and Immediately set out as on
rnce cou,sc.
I'll was seated on the front seat in the
Sleigh aud SO near to tho driver that nv
mouth was close to his cnr.
"What is tho matter, Kosko?" I said in
low tone, thut Nudrjc might not hear mo,
"you appear to be frightcnccd and it
seems to me you shure the anxiety of your
horses"
The old man reflected moment, then
he answered, scarcely moving lis lips.
81 fear that the wolves are on our track,
the cold has driven them out from their
haunts in the deep rccesscs of tho forest,
and hunger brings them on US; we arc lost
if the flcctncss of onr horses does not suvc
us from their deadly fnugs."
81 who speak 10 you,' added Mr.. Ger
oskoft, interruptiLg his recital ,'havc seen
deaths under terrible forms, but neither the
noise of cavalry charge, nor batteries
vomiting forth fire have ever made. so much
impression on me rs those words spoken at
the hour of midnight, in those frozen soil.
tudcs, far from any human aid
My first thought was, for my sister. l
had already seen her beautiful and delicate
person toru by these dcvouring monsters
| had often hcurd Of the tenacity as well as
the soIicity with which these wolves pressed
their prey; if my horses did not ia!I VIC
were saved, but said 10 myself with u
kind of certainty, that their forces would
he exhausted by tue perseverance, of the
wolves, aud VIC would become the victims Of
these fcrocous animals.
IL hrd II hunting knife. gun and two
revovcrs; unfortunately my provision of
powder aud lead was SO small, as scarcely
to suffice to kill the foremost Of our enc<
mics.
"Oid Kosko urged on TIE horses unre,
lenticssly. Useless trouble, he had no need
to excite them. a'hc natural interest of
these poor animals teaches them to
recognize the danger better than We our
selves.
81 was continually occupied 10 piercing
the distance behind US, and in listening in
the silence of the night to the least noise
that might afford INC the horrible certainty
Of our lot.
"Kosko had the s'nscs of sight and
hearing much sharper than mine, md he
said to nc:"
rfhcy nre coming, they are comnc
don't you hear their bowling, and their
gallopng a!oug the crusty snow? See tha /
dark point moving over there? There are
more than a hundred of thcn."
Then | recognized what the keen sight
Of l<osko had discovered before me-
"Far behind us, but on our track, and
rapidly approaching, black mass moving
in II strange manner was visible. They
seemed to fly over the snow covered plain
nearer and nearer they came, and threat
cDcd soon to reach our horses, who now be-
gan o flag Terrible and savage sounds
pierced the shades of night. Sometimes
they resemhleI the low muttcrings of
distant thunder, sometimes the hollow
painful grooming of map in danger whose
shrirks are strangled by violence
"Nud%jn suspected nothing as yet. She
vas entirely given up to her unxictics aud
to her dreams. could cot leave her lon
ger ignorant of the mcnacing danger Al
ready Distinguished scparate groups of
these helish fiends; already several of them
were in advance of tho mass and were COM
ing on US like formidable advance guard
within rifle range of our sleigh.
IL put my gun to my shoulder, took aim
at the foremost of the monsters.
CLOVER your head" | exclaimed, ad-
dressing my sister, who seemed to awake MS
from deep sleep. She looked to me us to
question me, but she easily read in my
couptenunce that ii was not timo for cx-
plantations, aud she instinctivcly lowered
her head
81 fired, the ball struck tho leader and
foremost of the band. The detonutiou
awoke tho chambcrmaid, who uttered pierre.
ing shrioks, persuaded VIC were attacked
by thieves"
"They are only wo!vcs," old Kosko said to
her, with horrible sang -/roid. They arc
eating the one that has just fallen. Then
we arc rid of our enemy bu. a hundred
others will track US until"
lie did not continue, not wishing to
reveal to the two women all the horror of
our situation.
"Thc horses, animated by the report
of the rifle, lenpcd forward in new arlor,
whilo the wolves paused near to the ca
davcr"
''That will not retain them long timc,"
murmurcd kosko. 81 know them, they
will soon be at our heels again, and our
horses will become their prey"
"Fhen for the first time, learned to
appreciate the courage and strength of my