Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1886-08-09
S.1onlha' Column,
HAND TO HAND WITH A
GRAY WOLF.

years in laying out lines for, or in
experimenting the building of, rail-
ways on the frontier. He has
brought good many trophies home
from the wilderness, and can tell
many a story in respect to them.
One of these trophies is wolf skin,
which lies before the fire.
"Where did you get that?" asked
him once.
"Well," he answered, with COM
ical, shame-faced kind of smile,
"I'm not sure want to tell that sto-
ry, for it doesn't sound very heroic.
Still, as | do not pretend to be hero
or even a hunter, and rs | came out
ahead in the encounter, / suppose |
needn't hesitate
"Was it a fight?" | exclaimed,
eager to hear a thrilling tale of some
hand hand struggle.
"Partly; at any rate, it came
within one Of it."
Chow was that?
CATER we had stopped surveying
on that railway in northern Manito-
ba last fall, with the coming of the
snow, | staid IN the region while
hunting buffaloes with a party of
French metiS, and on our return |
thought il would be good thing to
trap one of the big wolves that are
always hanging about a herd of
buffaloes in the hope of getting a
meal by dragging down some calf
or wounded or very aged animal.
These wolves do not move in large
packs, like the European ones that
are the subject of so many Russian
stories, but in small family parties
of three or four, and, perhaps for
that rearon are generally very cow
ardly, so they are not much 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 conse-
quence. 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 knew
it would be only short time before
some wandering band would discover
the quarry.
eve baited and set our trap in
the afternoon, and after our camp
supper that evening, it being moon
light, we sailed out to see whether
anything had been caught. Sure
enough there was big fellow nipped
by one foot.
GAS | was a stranger and their
guest, my French friends insisted
that should have the excitement
of going forward and dispatching
the captive with my rifle. Now 1 am
not a very good shot, and / wanted
to get as near as possible, in order
to kill him with my first barrel so ]
walked up to within twenty yards o.
the trap. Even this did not quite
satisfy me, however, and l was 90
ing on few PAGES further, when tC
my amazement, he suddenly sprans
forward, broke the chain of the tral
and dragging it along with him, cam,
bounding toward me, with open jaw
and the angry howl of a wild beas
at bay.
1.-The hero and sportsman | hav
spoken of would have cody droppe
the brute in his tracts, no doubt
but | confess that | was so startle
and frightened that | dropped m
gun, and would certainly have run
he hadn't been upon me almost be
fore could turn around. had jus
wits enough left to remember m
belt knife, snatch it from the sheat
hanging by my side, and hold it bt
fore me IN a trembling hand with
confused sort of hope that the wo
might run against it and so kill hin
self.
"Just what happened then | har
ly know, but l saw the beast sprir
as if INTO my face, heard a rifle Graz
right at my ear, and when the smol
cleared away there was the wolf l.
ing just at my feet, with bull
through his shoulder, and stab
his breast.
cit was fearful shock, and | q
not sure / enjoy even looking at t
skin, which, as you see, shows t
hole where the Frenchman's bull
entered, and so saved me 90
mauling' if not miserable DEATH
Harper''s Young People.