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


Their cessation, indeed, became as
startling as the sudden stoppage Of the
of transatlantic steamer is
to the ocean voyager. 1t usually an
nounced the fact that we had arrived at |
some large town, where the juggling OF
bells is prohibited by the authorities. On
the steppes, where there is but little
need of proclaiming your coming to the
wintry wastes, one is surprised to
find that the bells generally jingle
the loudest. was surprised to learn,
indeed, that the jingling has its use, as
it is generally assumed to brighten off
the wolves. The sound seems to inspire
them with fear or caution, for the con-
tinuous sound of the bells certainly pro-
claims the fact that all is well with the
traveller. And in all my journeyings, l
must say that never heard of yem-
sink being attacked by wolves while
driving his sled from one stanzia to the
other In very severe winters, how
ever, the run from post-station to post
station is not always completed without
the excitement of being chased by the
ugly brutes.
Dp.ing my winter journey across ST.
IBERIA was somewhat disappointed at
seeing SO few wolves. In my journey
of 5000 miles across the steppes | saw
only fourteen, eleven in one band, two
in another, and one solitary brute at a
distance providing about on the ice of
YennessGi. But the sled is great
place wherein to brood wolf stories.
When you are lying down under your
furs at night and the sled passing quick
ly over the frozen roads you imagine,
if the weather is not extremely cold,
that you can hear the deep growing of
the wolves following your sled. If the
weather is terribly cold you hear what
you imagine to be the short, quick yelp-
ing of thousand famshed brutes after
you. 1t is dreadful sound when you
| first hear it, but you soon learn to know
that this peculiar noise, which, assisted
by the Imagination you fancy to be made
by the tiery-mouthed wolves, is caused
by the wooden runners passing over
the crisp snow. Travellers Siberian
wolf stories are, am afraid, too often
the result of imagination. No book OF
travels on Russia or Siberia would, OF
course, be complete without them. My
first experience of the alleged wolf was
two days out from Orenburg. We were
crossing to the Ural Mountains. 1t was
about midnight when on one of the
highest ridges the jingle of the bells
suddenly ceased, and the yemshik came
to say that he was off the road, and that
the six horses could not extricate the
sled from the snow-bank into which he
had run. Twas inside the sled with my
interpreter. We emerged from our coy
nest of furs and looked around us. A
violent drift-storm was raging, and the
nearest post-station was ten miles away
on the other side of the mountain. We
decided tosend two of the yemshiks 1--WE
had three) on horseback TO the next vii
lage to bring assistance of horses and
men. Seeing these depart the yemshik
in-chief seemed to become possessed Of
terror at being left behind with the re-
naming horses, and he insisted on fol
lowing the other two.
Perhaps he had good reason for doing
this, since wolves are known to infest
the mountains in great numbers, anC
disabled horses would certainly have
proved great attraction to them. b
this as it may, we watched the horse
disappear over the ridge.
Finally, the jingle of bells could ne
longer be heard. We were left alone
A strange telling comes over the hearts o
men left in such dilemma. Might not
the men who had gone for assistance ge
into still deeper drifts, and thus succo
be delayed for an indefnate timeP But W,
resolved to wait patiently and to watch
We got out our weapons and determined
should wolves appear, to keep them Of
as well as we could, and if attacked t
mount to the top of the sledge ant
there defend ourselves as well and as lon
as we could. The wind drowned ever
noise. We could not hear any bowling
! but through the mist, hundred an
, fifty or two hundred yards away
/, we discerned small blac
point which we certainly had not oil
= served before, and then others, whic
, we decided could only be wolves or els
! dwarf shrubs cleared of snow by tn
driving blast We watched them close
: ly. They seemed to move. We dc
termined to give them a volley. w
fired. The black spots were still there
Either we had made very lucky shots
: most improbable thing-or the point
!, were only shrubs planted by the roaC
side to guide the sledge drivers owe
: the snowy wastes. Which they were
am quite unable to say, although my il
terpreter, who had for three years bee
q dweller in Siberia, insisted on maxim
wolves out of them. All that 1 know
I. that at last, weary and chilled, carr
less whether wolves came or not, W
3 got into our sledge, buried ourselves
4 our furs and waited for deliverance.
5 was long, anxious wait, and it ws
8 only after five hours had elapsed tbs
n we heard the welcome jingle of ha
= ness bells. We were sawed. But in ii
4 meantime we had slept soundly. TIL
= wolves were, am afraid, nothing bl
| huShps