The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1888-11-07

= Ao11a08 A0nso Terrible Kxperf-
enee In - 3hundsr Msuntafns-
He1ena Head.
q. W. jackson. the Helena mrs5c
dssier. had an experience last week
which now seems rather a friehsful
nightmare than an actual occurrence
He went out In the Thunder noun
fsins. absaf 90 miles north of Town
send. to visit mine Ira which he Il in
terested- The mine Is located In Sc
cinde gulch far up among the hiile in
the midst Of one of the widest sections
OF mountain land known in Montana.
He and companion. Il. w. James OF
Helena. arrived az the mine about )
Q Clock one afternoon, and Immediate
~ started out with their shotguns 70
get some grouse for supper. the neigh
corhood astounding with these birds
They walked up the guich q mile
or two. and separated, lfr. Jack
son going over a ridge 70 follow
bird that he had flushed.
On returning 70 the top of the ridge
ar, james was out OF sight and Mr.
jackson halioced to him, but got no
an xer. Dir James in the meanwhile
ne gone back to camp, thinking his
companion knew the country and
y = .t<Nt $500 As&tt& Atf> @NNt U@lflk AIf1
10 ind james, Jackson thought ii was
about time to 20 back. and started In
( the direction Of camp. as he supposed.
/ After walking about a mile he found
{ that he had missed his reckoning and
started 10 retrace his steps. II was
DOW growing dark, and al every step
the country grew more strange.
Finally he sat down to rest, oppressed
with the consciousness that he was
lost in the mountains. A feeling of
dread. 6f he knew not what, over
F.. powered him for a moment, but this
soon passed away. and he said
| Pshaw! A night in the mountains
/ IN summer Is nothing. | can 60 10
sleep under tree. and when morning
comes can easily find my way back e
camp"
Just as he finished this soiiioquy
long, deep howl arouse in the woods
to his right. and echoed with fearful
strains through the surrounding hills.
He reused himself as he recognized
the cry OF the gray timber wolf, one
OF the fiercest wild beasts that insest
our mountains. The echo had scarce
died away when another howl came in
answer from the other side of him,
} then another, until the forest on all
sides resounded with the dismal cry.
Then new fear presented itself. The
wolves were eviiently on his trail
Suppose they should attack him in
numbers? His only means of defense
was a shotgun and a few shells of
birslshot. What should he do? He
had not long for reflection, for every
moment the shades of night were
deepening, and the howls of the
wolves were increasing and growing
louder. showing that the beasts were
closing in on him.
His first thought was to climb a tree
and bid defiance to the beasts Near
the top of the hill, about the centre OF
the open he was in, he spied a lone
pine tree. q giant of its kind. whose
expansive boughs seemed to invite
him to their sweet embrace. Spurred
on by the blood-curdling bowls that
now formed a chorus of dismal, jang-
ling. discordant walls, Mr.. Jackson
ran with might and main toward the
tree. 1t was a race up hill and he sank
down at the roots of The giant pine in
an exhausted state. He soon rec0y-
cred his breath and tried to climb the
tree. Horror OF horrors The nearest
branch was twenty feet above the
ground and the base of the trunk was
fully four feet in diameter. He could
not scale its smooth bark, and after
several Intellectual at empts sank back
upon the ground in dispair.
But the howls again aroused him
from his lethargy. They were so loud
now that he knew the wolves were
near at hand. Then the thought struck
him to build a fire. He knew this
would keep the beasts at bay. and ae-
cordingly set about the task. The
ground was strewn with dry branches
and cones that had fallen from the
tree, and soon he had heap gathered
together. But now one OF those terri
bic lightning storms that have given
these heights the name of Thunder
mountains arose in all its fury. Peal
after peal of electric artillery rolled out
from the angry clouds, drowning the
howls of the wolves and Illuminating
the weird scene by vivid flashes OF
lightning that preceded the thunder. |
Then the wind blew a perfect hurri- |
cane. Match after match he struck.
but the wind blew them out.
Finally with some dry grass tiny
flame was communicated and a well
come blaze sprung up. Famed by the
wind, IL soon euveioped the pile OF
fagots and Illuminated the scene for
yards around. And it was just in
time. for around the circle OF light
east By the flames Mr.. Jackson saw
the gaunt and hungry forms of atleast
dozen wolves, great, big, gray beasts
with flashing eyas and swapping jaws.
Their bowling ceased for moment,
but soon another pack arrived and
l.. E..t.s g. \.
dog eat dog. The battle waged for n
few moments, the beasts swapping and
snarling at each other, jumping over
their fellows and bowling like a set of
demons. Mr.. Jackson could see the
tight as the wolves encroached within
the circle of the light. and his blood
turned cold as he thought how he
would fare before those terrible jaws,
But the battle soon ceased, and then
all the wolves, 80 or 10 all told, began
providing about the freight, ewing Mr.
Jackson with their flaming orbs, which
looked like balls OF fire.
About midnight the storm ceased. 4
aud darkness iinpeneirable settled
down on the mountains, the fire illu-
minating the space around the tree 10
| a distance of 40 yards. All this time
the gaunting figures of the wolves kept
PLAYING around the circle of light. not
daring 10 approa IN the fire, But their
glaring eyes and ierTorizing howls pro-
claimed their fearful presence con-
stantly.
Mr.. Jackson busted himself watch
ing the wolves and feeding the fire,
| which, until now, bad not lacked fuel.
But oh. horror, At about o'clock IN
J the morning. the darkest part OF the
night, he saw that the ire was grow
ing low and that the emboldened
wolves were pressing closer and closer
in upon him as the circle of light grew
smaller He had no more wood.
| Every twig and cone within reach had
been heaped upon the fire.
| Now there was almost nothing bnt
| emberS left, and he could see the
hungry wolves glarins at him not six
yards away. With gun in hand he
stood to fight and sell his life dearly a
soon a they attacked him. His heart
beat like a sledgehammer as he
| watched the ne rest wolf, expecting
every moment that the huge gray
monster " nld spring at him.
| Just as he thought the beast was
about To make the leap a column of
flame shot suddenly up into the air,
| sending its sparks twenty feet high
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