The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1881-04-09

beyond. Leading within short distance Of
Worthwhile, II doubled, coming back almost
over the same trail for over u mile, then tax.
ING another direction to the river, It crossed
again on through q corn field and out upOr
the open prairie, where hunters and hounds
for the first time caught glimpse OF the Oh.
iect Of their hunt, which proved TO one OF
those large timber wolves, the very worst OF
all to follow, snd terror to any, save pack
of hounds, 10 tackle" Instantly all was ex.
citement. each hunter drove spurs TO his
s,eed, and dashed for the front. Their con.
t,nued "whoops," the shrill blasts Of the horn,
and the deep bay,ng of the hounds, aroused
tho entire country; indeed, 1t would have
walked the slumbers Of the sleeping DEAD and
soon the little band of bakers Dozen" mum.
boring fifty, while fresh hounds we're thrown
In.
To many a mingled sound at once
The awakened prarics gave response,
An hundred dogs bayed deep ana strong,
Clattefed a score Of steeds along,
Their peal the merry horns rung out,
And scores Of voices Joined the shout;
With bark and whoop, and wild halloo,
No rest that day the praries knew.
Every moment added to the excitement OF
| the chase; fresh hunters and hounds joining
the hunt, and their loud yels and whoops
caused the wolf--who was not more than
twenty rods ahead--to run with terrific speed
and fright But ON he bounded over the prai-
RES, making bee line for Newark, thence to
Mission timber, some four miles distant
where 1t turned and back through Mission
Point, and on for some miles beyond; turned
again, crossed the river near Serena, and over
the prarles in divers directions, making trail
of over seven miles. This was bad move
for Mr.. Wolf, as the dogs cut and gained on
|him-and now the scene becomes intense
hounds not ten rods behind their game and
gaining on him at every jump! Onward they
bound with renewed speed, making the air
vocal with their baying, while the changing
horns and peculiar "whoopee's" OF the hun
tiers, ring loud and shrill! Tally no, boys
Now they're on to him." shouts the foremost
rider, as wolf and hounds seem to reach
small rise IN the prairie at tho same time
But no!
| Fresh vigOr now to him returns,
With flying foot the heath he spurns;
: Holds westward with unxearled race,
i And leaves behind the painting chase,
by running among drove Of cattle, which
) stroke of good policy on his part placed owe
} half mile between himself and his pursuers
Refreshing himself in the Fox's "turbid tide
he crossed and made for Mission Point
. thence on to Holderman's Grove in Kendall
county, a distance Of about ten miles. III
: over entire counties was his racket" From
Holterman's Grove he crossed the prairies
! coming out Nettle creek, III Grundy county
!. n run of fully twelve miles, from winch h
pushed on towards the town of Manlius, II
7 La Sale county. and along the Illinois bottom
: lands in Rrtland township giving the hunter
and hounds a tremendous run over the DrOa'
8 p.airies on through the timber lands to Pal
+ fridge Point, where he started from and her
e finding escape impossible he took to an oil
I granary near the edge of the timber, where h
, crept under the floor, never to emerge alive
: He had run his last race, swan the Fox, ant
e crossed the pralries, never 10 return; anu nov
e that his hour had come he resolved to hight
3 to the bitter end Scarcely had he disappear
ed beneath the old granary ere II was sui
rounded by the halt tamlshed hounds, and tn
hunters coming up, forced open the door, tor
r up the floor, and then commenced one OF IN
] widest scenes that one can well imagine
v With frothing mouth and glazing eyes stoo'
tho wolf while the dogs for an instant seemed
. to pause in astonishment and then with sin
! gle bound and together, were on to him, OIL
I somehow or other he got one of the braves
G hounds by the throat, and before he could b
> rescued and the wolf killed, both fell owe
r dead
He was the largest wolf ever seen IN tn
; county. and when weighed balanced the scale
3 at eighty pounds; was four feet ten niche
long, and stood twenty seven and oRe-hal
inches high. When skinned there was fount
) in him three bullets and several buckshoi
z and he WAS short a toe, showing conclusivcl,
that he had not only been shot at severa
times but trapped as we'll. AS near rs cOul'
he estimated lie was followed between eight,
and ninety miles He ran in three cOuntie
E and eight townships, SIX OF which were il
r La Sale county. The hunt was the wldes
and most exciting ever had IN the county, ant
as that long to be remembered day passed on
r Twas hard to tell what steeds gave DER,
II And hunter, fore that chase was DER;
Il Who tagged upon Serena's rocks,
Il Who feared to stem the turbid Fox.
Which thrice that day, from shore to shore,
That deyilish wolf swan stoutly o'er!"
Il j. d. H.