The Republican., 1888-10-06

drawn howl may save the sledge, for it has
+olb those at home every thing. Svantsen
sees lights flashing in the distance and
Knows that doors are being opened, dogs let
1oose and guns hastily snatched from their
nlaees. Twenty-Five yards only now be-
tween the sledge and the foremost wolf.
Slxien cocks his pistol, and keeps cool as
statue Graabeen, No. l, is grand, deter
mined fellow, believe me. They look at one
another, the man and brute, and there is
more expression now in the VOLTS face
than in the mans. One reckoning without
his host, his sharks eyes glittering like
stars, is divided between an attack upon
Eric or the horses. The human being
feels pistol trigger under each foretinger
and waits; for it will not do to miss.
twenty yards, eighteen, fifteen then
Syantsen shouts to his comrade:
srThe dogs are comingl"
Skien does not answer, and keeps his eye
upon the foremost wolf. Ten yards off he
is now. The deep baying of big dogs and
the shouts of men mingle with the cry of
the wolves, the snort of the horses, and the
bells ringing on over everything Then
Skien feels the sledge slacken speed and
raises his arm not moment too soon.
toward him, feels a terrible blow in the
chest and falls, writhing, bleeding and
gnashing his teeth in the cold snow. Some
among his companions stop to do the last
honoJs to their old leader, but more than
half keep on. Skien shoots another, and
hurlng his pistols with tremendous force
amolg them, breaks the leg of a third.
Svntsen gives the horses their heads and
'Atikes at the long gray brutes now stream
PC uyos-either side Here come the dogs
Slast fresh and fuli OF tsnt1ng. Twenty
there are, if not more, all eager for a tussle
with the universal enemy. They rush into
the wolves and at the same moment one of
the horses comes down with a crash, strug-
giles upon his knees, falls again, shrieks,
tries in vain to rise and rolls over, beaten
upon his side. The other, breaking his
trace and lashing out, comes near Draining
his driver, but instead catches rSois which
has jumped at Svantsen fair in the chest,
and hurls him back five yards. Slzien has
wound his coat round his left arm and uses
knife with his right. The freed horse,
with dozen wolves leaping at its head,
runs straight into the rescuing party. Then
torches CLEAN and men yell and fight hand
to-hand battles with gaunt, draggled brutes
the strong vulpine smell Of their kind, and
when blow gets home, howl and kick out
their lives in the reddening snow.
1t was a notable and terrific battle while
it lasted, and forms topic for conversation
to this day in Joksdal. Half the dogs were
killed, and more than one brave man who
rushed to the rescue will carry deep tokens
of the fight to his grave Svautsen came
worst off. His left arm was badly torn, and
one bite in his throat must have been fatal
had the brute who made it jumped a little
stronger. Skien fought like demon, and
escaped marvellously, with scarce more
than an ugly scratch or two. One horse
died where it fell, the other escaped with
its life but was ruined for all practical pur-
poses. Svantsen's wife, showever, looked to
it that the excellent beast should live the
remainder of his days in honOred idleness.
And the wolves, though decisively beaten,
can not be deemed disgraced. Upon the
field they left four and twenty slain and
some eight or nine wounded to the death.
Deeply detected, torn, manned, and ex-
hausted, the survivors got back to their
desolate forest homes; and, maybe, the God
that sees fit to let them live, provided an
adequate meal before the moon had set
For, mark you, those wolves, without ex-
actly appreciating the fact, had achieved a
great and splendid work. They had brought
to the surface much that is noble in human
Nearts; they had, in two short minutes,
done that which years of time might not
have done; they had destroyed a bitter feud
and built upon its ruins a friendship which
will stand while the friends have life
LOngman'S Nagazine