St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-11-25
UntO Death.
Look

A gaunt, stumbling wolf which has been
making cratic circles on the prairie sud
denly stops, lifts his nose high above the
grass, and snufIs the air in every direction.
Hank!
A long drawn howl-a sound which rasps
on your nerves and brings chill. The hon
est growl OF the tiger would be music in
comparison. 1t has no honest echo, but you
hear the r-r-r-r-r sneaking across the half
mile of prairie to find evil company in the
thiekets beyond.
Seel
The echo is hardly lost in the pines before
II Is caught up and sent back from dozen
Threats, and moment after a pack of
wolves break cover and race across the grass
10 join the lone animal which sent forth the
rallying call.
Skulking- malignant-devilish They are
beasts which will look you square in the face.
The wolf never does. Restless eyes-uneasy
bOdies-lolling tongues-y elbow fangs!
There they go.
The pack bead across the prairie to the
south, shifting at the summer breeze as they
run, and at each long leap their eyes grow
fercer aud clots of foam fly from their red
mouths to blotch the velvet grass. It is q
trail they are following and the scent is
fresh
Come on
II is strange sight which meets our
eyes. Lying stiff aud stark ON the prairie,
fingers elutcbing the grass and look Of
agony on the face already turning purple
under the hot sun, is the body OF a hunter
Deadl No need 10 ask that when YOU have
seen the terrible hole In his breast, and the
blood which has welled out and soaked the
grass and changed the color Of the flowers
His rifle lies at his side-his pack at his
head. No aceidentl Perhaps yes-perhaps
no. There is one who could tell US if be
could but speak.
Here, dogl'
Lying beside the dead-rising quickly up
as We approach lis the hunters friend and
companions grand old dog. He looks
straight into our eyes. II We have come to
bury the dead with kind hands, it is we'll II
we have come to rob the msster-bpwarel
There is courage and fidelity and determine:
ton.
Hushi The dog wheels about aud faces the
north. A sound has reached his ears which
sets bis eyes aAame aud raises every hair on
his back. Yelpi yelpl yelpi IL is the
wOlves-the pack which picked up the trail
he had made as he went TO the north in
search Of water.
Now watchl
There twenty to one, and the scent Of the
dead adds to their fierceness and daring, out
as they advance to within ten PAGES OF the
dog, every wolf comes to a stop. Standing
with his fore paws on the breast Of the corpse,
the dog growis warning at each and every
one before him. He could run away and
save his life, but the base idea never comes
10 him. He will light the whole pack-he
viii die defending his dead
Seel The wolves hubble together for a
moment, as IL in consultation, and then they
break up and form a circle about their vic
tins. The dog wheels slowly, growing his
wrath and uttering his defiance. Even now
be could break through and escape, but he
will not. OF a sudden the leader OF the pack
dashes at him. but he returns 10 the circle
whipped-bleeding- His place Is
filed by three companions, and for mo-
ment the corpse is hidden from view and
the uproai Is fdghtful,
Grand old dog They have tasted Of his
blood, but he has sent them crawling back.
Placing his paws again on the breast Of the
dead he grOwls defiance to the last
II Is overt All signal the whole circle
closes in, and the struggle is ended and the
feast begins. There is a tearing OF hesh-a
low growl Of satisfaction-and It is scarcely
five minutes before the last wolf has vanished
from sight, leaving only the stains Of blood
on the grass for the yultures to look down
on.