Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1886-03-26
Wild fogs Besei A Wolf.

Richard Roberts, a Marylander, and
one of the first settlers in Knox county,
Ohio, was wont TO tell with great glee
the story of an adventure he once had
in the Owl Greek bottom among the
wild hogs. His story was as follows:
81 was out deer hunting one day in the
Owl Creek bottoms, when all at once |
heard, far away in the woods, an aston
ishing roaring and boob boohihgv Of
hogs. What in the thunder was up
with the critters | couldn't conjecture,
but determined to find out.
"It was wet, drizzly day, and
could get'along over the leaves without
making the slightest noise. l scOoted
along from tree to tree, and at last
came to place where there appeared to
be about two acres of wild hogs.
"Such grand gathering Of hogs |
had never seen before, and hayesheyer
seen since. All had their brist!es up,
and all were 'booh-booh- -boohing' their
fiercest. There were white hogs, black
hogs, sandy hogs, spotted hogs and
hogs of all sizes, colors and degrees of
cussedness. Mad? They were just
raging-frothing at the mouth and
champing their teeth at fearful rate
A sort of steam or fog rose out of the
wet hair of that mass of enraged beasts
that filled all the woods with an almost
overpowering smell of mad hogs.
"What the cause of all this commO-
ton was / was not long in discovering.
Out in the midst of the great conven-
tiou of hogs stood big oak stump about
five feet high, and in the centre Of the
stump stood big gray wolf-as gaunt,
hungry-looking devil as ever saw
"He was Handsomely treed by the
hogs, and wasn't very pleasantly sit
uated, as he was beginning to find out.
All about him was a sward of uneasy
hair, and thousands of devilish eyes,
frothing mouths and gle aiming teeth.
Poor devil. There lie stood-his tail
tucked close between his legs, and all
his feet gathered into the exact centre
of the stump-and, Lord, wasn't he a
sick looking wolf. He seemed TO be
thinking that he had sold himself fawiul
cheap.
"Close about the stump and roariD'
up against it was crowd of the biggest
and most unprincipled old sows that |
ever set eyes upon. Every half minute
one of the old she-devils would rear mp,
get her forefeet OH the top Of the stump,
and make savage snap at one end or
the other of the wolf, her teeth clash
ing together like the jaws Of steel
trap.
"The wolf would whirl round to watch
that particular hog, when one on the
other side of the stump would make a
plunge for his tail, and SO they kept the
poor, cowardly cornered critter whirl-
ing round and round. He haG all he
wanted to do at hauling in his feet and
tail, humping his back, and in every
possible way reducing his average. I'll
bet his entire innards were drawn up
into bunch not bigger than my fist!
"Almost every instant there was a
charge made upon him from some quar-
ter. and sometimes from three and four
directions at the same moment. Lord,
wasn't it hurrying times with him
then!
"when the poor devil had moment
in which to rest and gaze about him,
all he saw was those two acres of rest
less bristles, open mouths and fiery
eyes. His long red tongue hung out Of
his open jaws, and as he uneasily moved
his head from side to side he seemed
to have about the poorest opinion Of his
smartness of any wolf lever saw. He
had got himself into pretty pickle by
trying to steal pig, and he knew it
just as we'll as if he had been human
thief, and was ashamed Of himself ac-
cordingly. No quarter could he hope
for anywhere among those open, up
turned, roaring mouths.
"Such was the noise, charging and
rushing to and fro, that ! hardly felt
safe behind my tree. one hundred yards
away.
.'I determined to try an experiment
on that wolf. raised my gun and
fred it in the air. At the report the
critter forgot himself. he bounded
from the stump at the crack Of my rifle,