Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1883-02-08
sAgEow E.etPE-

During the winter 81 lr*SsS TIE WITTY
7Taz cor uect4d with { nited St3fes zfir-
v.-v company engaged 10 Fe-n1arsine sffd
az k,ng the iuterret1sDai Ilns l'e'Tseu
tie J ger British Provinces and land Re
.onoing TO the United states, rear The
Red River Of tho North on territory
known 1t the TINE az Northern MINNIE
0ta. IL here that the following ad~
venture occurred:
A company Of three Of 1s had been
s~nt by the chief TO explore medium
.ized lake, through which the rntsrna-
.ioual survey lire ran. Our business vas
70 ascertain hoT u11oh Of the lake lay
within Cncie Sans limits.
We lef. camp 40 zbors two O'Clock N
ths afternoon. and. after weary tramp
Of FIVE rzIles through forest, our way
DISTRACTED By logs and underbrush. ve
arrived on the shores Of the l.ks. u
vas q dismal place. No habItations
we're near; nothing met the eve but the
level stretch of ice upon the surface Of
the lake, and wilderness Of tall pines,
spruce and birch surrounding Il on al
sides.
some time waa consumed in finding
the marks left there by a former s1ry =
ing party, and ascsrtaining the course
marked oct across the lake. Bnt this
wa accomplished at length, and US pre-
pared to start for camp, being AZ the
lower end Of the lake, or the pom. far
th@st from the camp. One Of my com
nsnious, whom I shall call Leighton, had
brought kIs skates. / never left camp
without nine: not knowing how many
weary footsteps they might save me, for
the country was nearly one third swarnps
and small lakes.
Bot the third man Of our party had no
skates. He was 4 good Datur-d, rolilck
ing Irishaan named jimmy McGuIre,
ard xas what u technically known IA An
axeman: that - - say, il WAS bis duty 30
| be always provided with an axe, for the
purpose of blazing trees, cutting poles,
stakes, etc.
Jimmy had no skates: 80, after strap
ping ours on, II vas agreed that he should
stand before us with bis feet little for
ward and braced for sliding. - that We
could push him along "a VS. skated over
the four or five miles of ice that coyered
| the surface Of tho lakes.
It was coming on night, or twilight, "a
We started. but full noon was rising,
/ and we dad rot mind 1t, IA We had just
| finished A hearty lunch of cold ham and
bread that We had brought from camp
with ~. IL was easy enough for a. %
/ attain a high rate of speed, and the irish
man undoubtedly never had such a slide
| before. The rate Of speed at which We
/ pushed him along almost made his boots
| smoke.
! In Ie.s than fifteen minutes We ap-
/ preached the other shore, and here we
/ slacksnsd our speed. just then We SAW
/ some kind of animals dArtlng IN and out
among the nnderbrush, ike a lot Of dogs
at play.
! We stopped abruptly, almost pulling
/ Jimmy over backwards, and proceeded
| to look mora carefully. IL WAS buta mo
/ ment or two, and We ascertaIned the Sc
cret OF the mystery; for one, two, four,
/ six large timber wolves presently came
/ out from the cover Of brush. Five OF
1 them raised their long noses and gave
v-nt to the long blood curdling howl with
| all frontierrmen are familiar.
! H0wly father, We shall be altenr' ex-
/ claimed Jimmy.
| IL certainly looked ~ If his fears wonld
/ he realized; for the wolves were appa-
/ reniiy very hungry, and We noticed, with
I a ferling of terror, that they intended to
attack rs on the ice.
No time to - lost, Colonel" Leighton
said, excItedly. We must put hack
acrsss the lake and 90 around them"
Hastily getting Jimmy before us. We
turned and shot off with arrow like swift
mesa. But the wolves At oace took To-
the ice and gave swift chase. They
slipped considerably at FIRST, but, after
getting under full Roadway, they rnads
| long, rapid bounds, and gained on US
every moment. Besides, Jimmy impeded
our progress very much. Still We strained
every uerve-contestsd every inch. 4
few moments more showed that some
nsw device must be tried, or they Won Id
attack Va. We could distinctly hear their
short painting breath and the quick patter
of their feet.
Colonel, we must dodge" said Leigh
ton, IA he gave quick glance over his
shoulder. They are upon u.s.
All ready. 1 exclaimed. Now to
the right
/ And, a. spoke. we made a qaick, short
curve. The result was more than We
expected. The wolves. of course, could
not stop at once. but went sliding by US
on their launches, one of them so near
~ to snap at my legs. But IN turning
/ too short We upset Mcclure, who Went
down IN spite IF as. elise we should have
gained a tar start of the wolves before
they could have stopped their momentum
20 rs to turn.
| As IL WAS, Jimmy slowed around when
We turned, slipped from our grasp and
/ Went sliding Oh his back IN nearly the
| direction of the wolves.
AZ the freshman rose to his feet the
wolves turned and rushed directly at him,
only Il few rods SEPARATING them, while
{ "a
| yards farther away.
| But We had TO idea of deserving the
1 faithful felioS, though the sequel proved
/ THAT JItumy WAS master of the situation
aid the hero OF the hour, after all.
| A. the wolves sprang forward with
open jaws tieeked with foam. Mcclure
/ unstrIppcd his trusty axe from his back
/ and poised 10 for blow Tbs opportu-
nifty WAS at hand. A long gaust wolf
rushed forward and made a spring d.
rectly at him. With a swift circle OF bis
/ axe he fairly spit tue brute's head III
twain. Another wolf quickly followed,
and the lnviaeible AKA crushed IN ma
skull. The next wolf wavered and WAS
Inclined TO back out: but Jlmmy's blood
was up, and with quick spring be lev
eled Is sidelong blow that broke the back
~ 80 - tsAASA~AhA tibWk sk1ti
writing II tio1ndsred on the ice.
| This WIS the END; the remaining three
skunk AWAY and were soon lost 10 sight
IN the gloom.
IsTe an odnsi did the snarlin' hastes
think to ate hive freshman wild such a
shiiIeiAa as this axe forninst hlm!" said
JImmy, excit,dly.
We tarried long enough 20 secure the
0lGez As IrDrbfea for Ifaasav and r.Aarha
the camp IN 4 couple OF hours without
further incident. but, had 10 not been
for Jimmy and his axe. the adventure
might have had a different termination.