The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1886-06-25
When Men Flee.

Had hungry lion been turned loose,
had a mad tiger been released from its
cage, had terrible serpent made its
appearance among men, there would
have been frightened rush and sink
ing of hearts. but no such feeling of
terror as fell upon mon when the shout
was sudnenly heard:
"Look out for the mad dog!''
There was wild, desperate rush for
places of safety. There were women
at the doors-children in the street
but men fled away and left them to take
care of themselves. That cry had
struck the heart with such a chill as the
peril of fire or flood or the battlefield
can never bring. 1t was Gods mercy
that the brute paused for moment at
the head of the street-not in fear-not
tor observatiOn-but to turn and writle
and twist and savagely bite his painting
sides and tired legs.
A mastiff which would almost rival a
lion in size and strength-his Jaws
dropping yellowish foam-his black
breast fcckcd and spotted-his eyes
blazing the fires of a thousand agonies
his lips drawn back to show his terrible
teeth, and men and women and child
ren knew that his bite meant death in
its most awful form. That one precious
moment saved a dozen lives. As the
brute ceased tearing himself and con-
tinued his way, the street was clear of
human life. There were horses hitched
here and there. The poor beasts seemed
to realize that some awful danger men,
aced. With ears pointed forward-with
eyes dilated and full of fear-with
flanks heaving as if they had but ended
a gallopp. they waited their fate. The
sight OF living objects seemed to arouse
new fury in the dog, and he sprang
at the breast of the nearest horse and
left great patch of blood and froth to
mark the spot his fangs had Ont
cred. A second-a third-a fourth
and then lie desistcd. He seemed
to have been seized with sudden
fear. He crouched under wagon and
whined and trelnbled as if expecting
punishment. The horses nervously
lifted their feet. and he shrank away.
A wandering cur came around the
corner, barkcd loudly at the stranger
in the village, and tile brute 80 terrible
moment before groveled IN the dust
and howled in dismay.
1t is so with paroxysms of madness
He soon rose up, skunk off down the
street. and, when finding himself fol-
lowed, he turned aside into an open
gate to hide himself. The hand of
Providence was in it. He entered a
paddock from which there was no
escape, and a trembling hand closed the
gate upon him. 1t was not moment
too soon. The fires of madness blazed
up again and sent the blood boiling
through every vein, and fear was no
longer in control. He dashed about
the inclosurc swapping at every stick
and chip and bush-tcaring ut the
boards-tiinsing his froth over the
grass and high up on the fence.
Now, as the head and shoulders of a
man appeared above the fence to OBJ
serve his movements, the dog became
the incarnation of ferocity. His ewes
blaze anew: his fangs gleam through
bloody foam; his hair stands erect; lis
tail lashcs the ground in snbdued fury.
He moves toward the fence-creepine
-writhing-choking back his agonics
tor the moment while he scores another
victim. Creep-creep-the foam drip
ping-the fangs clasiling-the muscles
gathering for one mighty effort. Now.
with terrible growl he springs, SEEM
ing sure of his vengeance, but he
strikes the boards and falls back On the
ground to writhe and twist and tear bis
own flesh again.
Other men appear. Guns are being
brought out to shoot the brute. The
sound of human voices cnrages him to
fury: He goes rushing about, swapping,
snarling, vindictive. Wounds but add
TO his fury for the time. and the hands
which hold rifle and revolver tremble
as the weapons are pointed By and
by, worn out with his exertions and
weakened by loss of blood, he stands
and faces his enemies. In those blazing
eyes is Terror In those fangs is Feroci.
ty In that dripping foam is Death.
When he finally sinks down and dies a
town draws long breath of relief. Not
fire. nor flood. nor cyclone, nor epi-
iemic would have SO lnerved men and
frozen the hearts of women.-Detrou
Free Press.