Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1886-10-06
A NIGHT OF HORROR.
Fierce Fight Of a Hunter With q
Pack of Wolves.

Into the woods?"
Unto the woods, my boy"
Captain Whitney and myself were
talking together.
Every well. l shall do rs you wish,
though there is savage game in the
woods, l understand, and l am not
used to savage game in tho least l
shall rely upon you to protect me-"
was enjoying my college vacation
at the time, and was, of course, quite
young.
You are not frightened at shadows.
j suppose, and can pull trigger as
well as anothcrP"
"Yes. Captain. have had some ex-
pericncc in gunnery; and at target
shooting, should not in tho least mind
accepting Il challenge even from your
self also count myself equal to
small game Of any descriptions but
when YOU propose bears and wolves, l
can not promise. flattcr myself that
my nerves are reasonably steady, yet
can not vouch for them under power
full excitement"
mo danger of the powerful excite
ment, my boy, not the least. There
are, indeed, some specimens of savage
game, as you call it, over on the Tonka
lake, but IN the region where I propose
to spend Tho night, there is nothing
more savage than deer. You are not
afraid of harmless old buck, Ihopcp"
1.-The day promises fair, and this gun
is exactly to my liking. If you think
it an open question whether am afraid
Of harmless buck or no, Just hurry up
end git me in range"
This, of course, was many years ago,
&c y on see that l am IN old man now,
and one need not go twenty miles from
Captain Whitncy's residence to find
the forest alive with game. l had long
had bright visions of this particular va
cation, rs it was understood that | was
to make my way into the wild region
where the friend of my father. good
naturcd old Captain Whitney, resided,
10 while it away.
A reasonable supply OF provisions
were provided; blankets gathered for
covering ut night; iishing.tacklc,
knives and IN axe deposited in the
rough lumbcr-wagon, two horses har-
messed and attached thereto; and
then, with much free con-
versaton and many iests, the
Captain and myself rode fifteen
miles, in the two hours Immediately
preceding the sunrise of September
morning The road was magnificent
ly rough, especially the last four miles
of it, terminating in scmi-circular
clearing, wherein stood a Lighthouse
and log-barn.
Here we leave our horses" said the
Captain. "Sandy will see to them,
and Ne will look for something better.
Do you notice that heavy timbercd
tract of land inclining along the base
of the hill yonderp" pointed to the
south of us-''and the bold, rocky hill
beyond, and little to the left OF itP
Our path takes us over that ridge. We
shall reach the Stony brook at about
nine o'clock, aud fish in the pond. We
shall dine at precisely twelve, in lit
tie bark shanty on the shore
Of the pond. shall kill deer
at two o'clock this afternoon, another
at four, and two more between the
hours of five and six. AS for you, my
boy, you will get indignant at my
luck as you will call it, and out o.
patience with yourself. This is the
first days experience universally and
inevitably; SO school your mind &C
cordingly. You will kill nothing to
day!
Rather an unpleasant programme
Captain, so far as / am concerned,
/ answered, laughing eve shall Sc,
by what authority you have arranged
it."
1t amazed me to see the quantity o
trappings which the Captain dispose,
about his person. Every thing that w
} needed for camping out in the wood
; he disposed somehow, and all in sucl
a1manner as not to discommode hin
in the least. He left me the axe an,
a single basket of provision, declarin,
that he ought also TO carry those, bu
I allowed me to take them, simply that
might be initiated into the mysteries o
real frontier sports.
We toiled along through the grea
climbed the ridge and ,emcrgcd, &C
cording to the programme, upon tn
z clear, rapid waters OF Stony brook. =
J, We sat down to rest in the deep shad
!. OF n clump of pines. and to arrange on
Q fishing-tacklc for the sport which W
9 promised ourselves i'm following tn
r brook to its mouth. The Captain locke
h at his watch.
. mine o'clock, precisely, my boy
e You see that when / arrange pro
c grammcs, know upon what data
y calculate. All this region is as familia
d to me as the soil which cultivate aroun
v my own buildings Ihave been over IL
t hundred times.
But you don't mean to say that
Il am not 10 kill single deer while yo
\ kill half a dozen, Captain? Your pre-
!. grammc has gone very well thus fa
d but will see that 1T is altered i'm som
: particulars yet"
Is II have never known the instance
y boy Ii kc yourself killing deer I'll
4 first day of hunting. Very likely n
y thing has been done, but only in r,
/ markable cases. The excitement Is a
q ways too much for the nerves."
y i looked around as / heard di
&c turbancc Of the brush behind u
It though ] saw nothing at first, rs II
growth of saplings was quito thicl
9. and the ground slorcl downward I,
worflc tho north az tho ..,.u.t m.