The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1886-11-04

"Of course this was all very in-
toresting but il was not very profit
able so tho owner Of the timber, and
as beaver pelts were then worth n
heap of money, ! concluded to pat
stop to the timber stealing and al
so to gather in TINT beaver COLONY
for my own bonsti,, il l could. The
uext day | started down the river
on tour uf investigation. Three
miles down came in sight Of the
place where the beavers had strech~
cd u dam across, made OF cedar
worth its weight in silver almost.
got down on my hands aud knees,
aud hidden from view by high bush
es, crept toward the dam. Pee.ing
through tho bushes, | saw that beas
vers bad utilized Gu Old log that lay
ucross tho stream in making their
dam. aDd then my eye fell on ono ol
tie ,rgest gray wolves ever saw.
lie was crUutchiug on the log, and
looked part Of it, so motIonioss
did lie lie. But his sharp eye WAS
fixed ON tho water, anl it actually
blnzod with expectancy Tue hun
CRY chap was there fishing for bca'
YER, aud | lay still to see his luck.
81 watched tho wolf for, gness
ten minutes before anything Of iu-
terest uccurre and in all that tim,
he never moved a muscle or Wiuked
an eye. l don't believe tho wind
was able to raise hair ON his body
rheu | saw long undulatiug rip
pie start iiom the opposite bank d
the stream and follow the surface q
tue water toward tho log. Their,
vas no chauge in the wolf, except
that his eyes might have blazac
brighter. The ripple ceased at IL,
iuE. The wafer broke, and Tia,
broad bead of beaver appeared.
heard loud splash, and saw thai
The wolf aud beaver had disappeared
but with such savage velocity hac
,hc wolf sprung from the log, ] hat
not scon Tho movement. | supposed
it was all up with that beaver, o
cuui So, but in few seconds tn,
wolf came alone to the surface, blew
the water from his nose with two VI
three loud shorts, aud swan back t(
tho log. uo lad missed his pray
but tufts Of fur that he swept from
lis ugly-looklng jaw with his paws
showed that tho beavei's escape haC
bOeu Il narrow one.
The wolf shook the wafer from
ais bide and took another position
oD tue log aud began another watch
This tins he crouched on The lol
n,arer the shore, where the waite
was swallowed, evidently thinking
that hs would have better chance
there. | diln't think 80, for it wa
ont Of the line where The beaveri
) would be apt to swim and climb oil
ihe dam In tho light Of subse
q1ent events there is no doubt bu
what my opinion was correct.
/ The wolf had barely settled him
self on the log when the tell tai
ripple broke again aud led right to
ward the very shallowost part Of th
, water aud near the shore, within
} three feet OF the wolf. was 30 ex
cited by this time that L came nea
| yelling right out and spelling all th
fun. | did grind my teeth, however
and said to myself:
. =" is it possible that beaver Col
know so much and still be such
fool y
"But the ripple kept on. Th
water broke, aud there was the bea
! yer. Whiz went the wolf through
the air and plunked squarely down
. ON the foolish beaver. jumped ~
: with the intention of pitching int,
the wolf aud saving the beaver, any
I how. But 1 didn't have to. Th
t instant the wolf struck his claws il
. his prey there rose up on every sid
! apparitions with fierce whiskers
D rows OF teeth like fence pickets, AM
. great bales OF fur. The wolf was il
. an ambuscade Of beaver, and not les
l. than thirty enraged dam builder
rushed to the aid Of their compan
l ion. They tore and gnashed th
Q wolf numerically. He dropped hi
;, prey, and made a desperate fghl
:, but it was like ranch mans cabi
o in the track Of cyclone. In a quar-
!. ter Of minute there was nothin
% left of that wolf but fragments {