The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1886-05-08

Suuuenly onouueu Oub'
There they areW Sure enough, there
we're the wolves. ] looked out of the
sled and saw eleven of the brutes.
They were as big again as good-sized
foxes, and were passing quite across
the road in front Of us in a very leisurely
After we had passed they
stopped and calmly looked at us. I or
dered the yemshik to stop the team,
and, getting out of the sled, we had
time to take out our rifles, load them
and fire before they ever attempted to
move. Ever then they only went away
in a most dignifed and insulting man
ner, as if they were not quite sure what
was best to be done under the circum-
stances-whether to remain in the line
of fire, where they were comparatively
safe, or by running away, put them
selves incautiously in the way of acct
dental and sudden death. Another
time two wolves crossed the road and
waited for us to have a shot at them be-
fore they thought of Looping off to safer
quarters.
To prove how little danger the ma
tiyes and dwellers of the Orenburg
steppes consider they are in from wolves
| may say that the drivers scarcely ever
notice their presence. The Kirghese
and Cossacks who dwell on the Oren-
burg plains have much of their best
sport in wolf-hunting. Whenever they
want to chastise the brutes for robbing
them of their stock and devouring q fat
lamb or two, they mount their fleet
little horses, and armed with a heavy
club, set out to hunt down the marau-
ders on the steppes. This they can
easily do when the snow is deep and not
yet firmly frozen over, since the wolf
sinks through the snow at every step
and becomes exhausted, until final
" he sits down on his launches in
the snow and quietly awaits for the
hunter to knock him on the head with
his club. In summer the Kirghese
hunt the wolves down in similar man.
ner on the steppes, using lasso in
stead of club. The high, prickly
growth of the prairies prevents the
brutes from running far, and they
fall an easy prey to the hunter.
As for wolves following the sleds | am
inclined to doubt that they do this on
the great post-roads. 1t is the one alb
sorbing task of a traveller in Siberia to
tell when he gets home of the wild race
before the pursuing wolves, to describe
how he shot the one that approached
nearest the sledge, how the brute S COM
panions stopped to devour their late
leader, while the yemshik whipped up
his horses at terrific speed until the
danger was past and the traveller was
safely deposited at the MISREPRESENTATION,
These stories are capital reading in
books, but the facts are quite different
At every stanzia or post-house there are
number of good-natured dogs, pets Of
the yemshiks, who dearly love to follow
their master or friend to the next sta
ton and back. Most frequently =
couple of dogs will take it into theii
heads to journey in company, having
nothing else in the wide world to do
But the expedition may prove danger
GUS to them if undertaken at night, fol
the traveller, if he happen to look out q
his sled, is very apt to mistake them fo-
wolves and shoot one of them before thu
yemshik has time to stop him. And ;
dead dog is quite as useful as a deaC
wolf for the story book of the Siberian
traveller.
On the Kirghese steppes, where i'm
mense droves of horses are kept, ant
where kumiss is an article of export
the wolves have to be looked after, es
pecially in spring time, when they seek
to indemnify themselves for the sever
fast of the winter, and are very DESTROYS
to get themselves into good condition
again. Foals are then in their prime
and the wolf is constantly prowlin!
about the taboon. The horses are
however, always prepared to take car
of themselves and to defend the younge
members of the community. The wolve
are wary creatures. They do not max
the attack openly. They wait till good
ly number are together and the Tabor
gets little scattered. Then they some
times make rush, bringing on gener
al battle. Such a fight is splendi
sight. The stations and mares cbarg
down upon the threatened point, genel
ally putting the attackers to instar
flight. Sometimes a stray foal is snaT
ped away, and the mother, going to ii
, defense, also falls victim. If the a
tack is kept up the mares form circl
within which the foals take shelter
while others form into a solid phalan
and charge down upon the wolves, tea
, ing them with their teeth and trampin
on them with their feet The sta
lions do not fall into the phalan1
/ but gallop about with streaming tai
and erected names, seeming TO act 6
, generals, trumpeters and STANDARD
bearers, doing immensely effective wor
, all over the plain. Their weapons al
their fore-feet and their teeth. Wit
t one blow the stallion often kills the el
5 envy or stuns him, and then, snatchin
t up the body with his teeth filings it
the mares, who trample it out of q
. shape. Sometimes a stallion meets h
death in such fight, but not often. II
t Cossacks or Kirghese are, howeve
generally on the watch for such fight