Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1886-09-30
A NIGHT OF HORROR.
Fierce Fight Of a Hunter With a
Pack of Wolves.
Unto the woods?"

''Into the woods, my boy"
Captain Whitney and myself were
talking together.
''Very well. shall do as you wish,
though there is savage game in the
woods, understand, and 1 am not
used to savage game in the least. 1
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.
! suppose, and can pull a trigger as
well as another?''
"Yes. Captain. have had some ex-
perience in gunnery; and at target
shooting, should not in the least mind
accepting a challenge even from your
self. l also count myself equal to
small game of any description; but
when you propose bears and wolves, l
can not promise. flatter 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 propose
to spend the night, there is nothing
more savage than deer. You are not
afraid of ? harmless old buck, Ihope?"
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
and get me in range"
This, of course, was many years ago,
as you see that l am an old man now,
and one need not go twenty miles from
Captain Whitney's residence to find
the forest alive with game. l had long
had bright visions of this particular va
cation, as it was understood that was
to make my way into the wild region
where the friend of my father. good
natured old Captain Whitney, resided,
to while it away.
A reasonable supply Of provisions
were provided; blankets gathered for
covering at night; fishing tackle,
knives and an axe deposited in the
rough lumber-wagon, two horses har-
messed and attached thereto; and
then, with much free con-
versation 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
~ rough, especially the last four miles
of it, terminating in semi-circular
clearing, wherein stood Lighthouse
and a log-barn.
"Here we leave our horses" said the
Captain. SANDY will see to them,
and we will look for something better.
Do you notice that heavy timbered
tract of land inclining along the base
of the hill yonder?" pointed to the
south of us-''and the bold, rocky hill
beyond. and little to the left of it?
Our path takes us over that ridge. We
shall reach the Stony brook at about
nine o'clock, and fish in the pond. We
shall dine at precisely twelve, in lit
tie bark shanty on the shore
of the pond. shall kill a deer
at two 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 viii call it. and out of
patience with yourself. This is the
first days experience universally and
inevitably; so school your mind ac-
cordingly. You will kill nothing to-
dayr'
'.Rather an unpleasant programme.
Captain, so far as 1 am concerned. "
I answered, laughing. I'VE shall see
by what authority you have arranged
it,
1t amazed me to see the quantity of
trappings which the Captain disposed
about his person. Every thing that we
needed for camping out in the woods
he disposed somehow, and all in such
q manner as not to discommode him
in the least He left me the axe and
. single basket of provision, declaring
that he ought also TO carry those. but
allowed me to take them, simply that
might be initiated into the mysteries of
real frontier sports.
We toiled along through the great
mass of forest which skirted the hill