The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1888-10-06
A RACE FOR LIFE.
Thrilling Adventure With Raven
GUS Wolves in Norway.
"A Feud Caused by a Love Affair settlet
Amid the HOw1ing of Wild Beasts
Rescued at the Eleventh
Hour.

Where tho fir trees began to grow less
closely; where between their tall trunks
and in their black foliage, cleaned few
crimson splashes of fire as the sun sank be-
low the horizon; where the snow lay deep
and unspotted, save by the multitudinous
prints of their own restless feet-there, on
the outskirts Of the forest, at the wane of
day, the wolves were gathering themselves
together. Hungry they were, and eager for
work to begin. There was no play among
them, no leaping over one another's backs,
or wrestling or growing pretenses at fight
ing. They were on business-the first busi-
ness of life; to keep life and to keep life, if
You happen to be wolf, means hard work
and plenty of it, with but little time to spare
on the amenities of existence.
And now their old gray leaders-warriors
who have survived many a scene of death
and disaster to man and wolf-leap out to-
gether from tho woods upon the darkening
plain. They raise their noses, sniff the wind
and shake themselves. One yawns and
stretches his paws, while puff of hot
breath rises from his tongue, and, as he
shuts his narrow jaws with a snap, sharp
canine teeth, white as the snow itself, glis-
ten in the dusk.
Then begins that long, slouching, tireless
trot, that Internal gallop which beats horse
and man and all things living for combined
speed and endurance. The pack covers
nearly five and twenty square yards Of
snow and settles into its stride, each beast
moving and turning in unison with the rest,
as flight of birds mysteriously wheels in
air. They are Norway wolves these, and
experience has long since taught them what
work will be necessary before supper and o
return to their forest fastnesses
Note what happens almost at the start
One 1.-the brute suddenly slips and strains
his leg. Fearfully he glances at his COM
panions on the right and left, but as yet
they know not of the accident. All too
soon, however, the pace tells upon the in
jured animal. Nature asserts herself in the
great gray wolf, his eyes glow like red-hot
embers, his sinewy leg gives under him, he
howls his farewell to dear life, and his
place in the ranks know him no more. But
the manned creatures sufferings are over
almost instantly, for the fttest alone sur
vive in pack Of wolves. A ravenous fight
ing mass of fur and legs and teeth closes in
upon him, and he is gone, leaving no monu-
ment more enduring than drops Of his own
hot blood, which have fallen and melted for
themselves deep holes in the trampled snow.
Then forward they sweep, the cannibals,
on the best possible terms with one another,
and feeling as you would feel after anchovy,
or an olive, or some such preliminary to
somc important gastronomic efforts.
But now, ahead, there stands a solitary
tree, naked save whore, on its topmost
branches, the dark pine-needles mingle in
ono shapeless clump, or where, lower down
dead cones still cling to the parent bough
In the rough bark at its foot are flecks oi
wool; but the sheep which rub themselves
there in the summer are far away now.
Something Of greater interest meets the
wolves here. Along the snow at the base
OF the tree and running at right angles tt
tho course they have till now been taking
extend two parallel lines, cut by the iron.
OF q sledge. One vehicle alone has passed
since the snow last fell, but 1t appears tt
have gone by quito recently, for the seen
moments halt. Now supper becomes ,
probability, for where there is asledge there
Is horse, perhaps two; where there is
slcdge there Is also man, possibly NOR
than one
Have you ever heard the bowling o
wolvesl
have, seated In o comfortable place o
entertainment, with my mind at ease ant
certain knowledge that many iron bars sep
aratcd me from tho invisible howlers. Evel
under these circumstances the sound wa
one that made me turn cold and wonder hov
nature had produced anything SO hideous
It is like nothing but itself; you can no
compare or contrast 1t with any other or,
OF living things; gale Of wind In the RIG
ging OF big ship ut soa is the nearest al
proach to 1t know. Thin, hollow walls Q
sound grow and swell aud burst into on
demoniac howl that embodies In Its volum
every conceivable note Of despair and eter
nal torture Then the crescendo dies
somctimes as though suddenly strangled
moro often In long drawn shriehs that fad
upon the ear. There 10 music In their cs
dcnces at times; these that ] heard wer
fairly In tuno--but such tune, such
droning, Hendish whirling blast Of melod
~ was. II the neither world hes IT. ow