Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1886-09-23
SAINT Nargs Beacon.
LEONRDTOWN, MARYLAND.
ONE DOLLAR FER YEAR IN ADVANCE.


II
ways on the frontier. He has brought
a good many trophies home from the
wilderness, and can tell many a story
in respect to them. One of these
trophies is q wolf-skin, which lies be-
fore the fire.
Where did you get that2" asked
him once.
well" be answered, with a conf.
cal, shame-faced kind Of smile, I'm
not sure want to tell that sort of
story, for it doesn't sound very heroic.
Still. as do not pretend to be hero,
or even hunter. and az / came out
ahead in the encounter, / suppose !
needn't hesitate"
Was it fight" exclaimed, eager
to hear thrilling tale of some hand.
to-hand struggle.
Partly; at any rate, it came with
In one Of it,"
How was THAR"
After We had stopped surveying on
that railway in Northern Manitoba
last fall, with the coming of the snow,
j stayed in the region while hunting
bufaloes with party Of French metis,
and on our return l thought it would
be good thing to trap one Of the big
wolves that are always hanging about
a herd of buffaloes in the hope Of get
ting a deal by dragging down some
calf or wounded or very aged ami
mai. These wolves do not move in
large packs. like the European ones
that are subject of so many Russian
stories, but in small family parties Of
three or four. and perhaps for that
reason, are generally very cowardly.
so they are not feared by the plains.
men unless cornered. Well. one night
we set steel-trap close by the carcass
of buffalo cow which had Just been
shot"
Had you seen wolves about?" ]
interrupted.
NO, but that was of no consequence.
The wolves get SO white in winter up
there that they are all but invisible,
and spring out Of the snow, at the
most unexpected times and places,
like spirits. Their scent is amazingly
keen, too, and l knew it would be
only short time before some wan
dering band would discover the quarry.
I'VE baited and set our trap in the
afternoon, and after our camp supper
that evening. it being moonlight, we
sailed out to see whether anything
had been caught. Sure enough. there
was big fellow nippsd BY one foot,
"As I was q stranger and their
guest. my French friends insisted that
! should have the excitement of going
forward and dispatching the captive
with my rifle. Now I am not vs,y
good shot, and I wanted to get as near
as possible. in order to kill him with
my first barrel; SO I walked up to
within twenty yards ofths trap. Even
this did not quite satisfy me, however,
and I was going on few PAGES further,
when, to my amszement, he suddenly
sprang forward, broke the chain of the
trap, and dragging it along with him,
came bounding toward me, with open
jaws and the angry howl of a wild
breast at bay.
The hero and sportsman I have
spoken of would have coolly dropped
the brute in his tracks, no doubt; but
| confess that l was so startled and
frightened that dropped my gun,
and would certainly have run il he
hadn't been upon me almost before /
could turn around. I had Just wits
enough left. 70 remember my belt
knife, snatch it from the sheath
hanging by my side, and hold it be-
fore me in a trembling hand with a
confused sort Of hope that the wolf
would run against it and so kill him.
self.
just what happened then / hardly
know. but l saw the beast spring as If
into my face, heard a rifle crack RICH;
at my ear, and when the smoke cleared
away there was the wolf lying just at
my feet, with q bullet through his
shoulder and stab in his breast.
1T was fearful shock, and 7 am
not sure that I enjoy even looking
at the skin, which, as you see, shows
the hole where the Frenchman' bullet
entered. and so saved me good maui.
ing. if not miserable death, Ernest
Ingersoll, in Harper's Young Folks.