Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-01-05
THE FIERY WOLF.

Sand I suppose you have plenty of
wolves here, as well as bears?"
Evolves? You've come to the right
place, if you want to find them. All
this part of Russia is one great forest,
and in winter it fairly swarms with
wolves from one end to the other.
Shall we go out tonight and knock
over few of them?"
There is nothing I should like bet
ter"
VERY good; We'll do it."
Mr.. Reginald Marston, who was so
eager to make the acquaintance of
Russian wolves, was a young English
traveller, who had taken it into his
head to spend a winter in the North of
Russia.
Having done so, he could not, of
course, think of going home again
without having had a wolf-hunt in the
SOW, which he somehow supposed to
be the national amusement of the Rus
slams.
His companion, Major Kamaroff
(who was engaged in making a sur
vey of one of the most out-of-the-way
districts in those wild northern PROV
inces which lie between st. Petersburg
and the White Sea-, had met him on
the road, two days before, doing his
best to get two tired horses through a
snowdrift nearly six feet high.
Both men being keen sportsmen,
they made friends at once, and this
wolf-hunt which they were now plan
ming was to be their first sporting ex-
cursion together.
The log hut in which the two had
taken up their quarters was rs mnch
too hOt-thanks to its enormous stove
as the outer air was too cold, and it
would certainly have been more COM
Portable had there been fewer reaches
in it, as well as other insects of u still
more unpleasant kind.
But Marston (whO was well used to
roughing it by this time) slept as sound
ly on his heap of straw as a boy after a
holiday, till he was suddenly aroused
by the CLEAN of light close to his
eyes, and hoarse voice calling out:
''Bari2, SAM" (Master, the sledgeD
Up jumped Reginald at once for he
had lain down with all his clothes on
and running to the door of the hut,
found drawn up in front of it a huge,
broad, heavy Russian sledge, with
such enormous high sides that it looked
very much like some giants bath-tub.
Major Kamarof was already out
side, giving orders to three or four
sturdy Russian peasants in sheepskin
frocks, who were slowing into the
sledge armfuls of hay, rifles, cloaks
and wraps of every kind, and last, and
but certainly not least, a young pig,
which was squealing loud enough to be
heard half a mile off.
"What on earth do you want that
pig for?' asked the Englishman, staring
with all bis might at this new passen-
ger.
'Ah, that's our bait for the wolves"
answered the major, laughing ''They
are mighty fond of pork, and the mo-
ment they hear that fellow squeal,
they'll come along like peasant on
the scent OF a bowl of cabbage-soup."
The driver shook his reins, with a
shrill yell of "Ai-dah, goloobchik5"
Go it, petsDan away then went.
1t was only a little past one o'clock
in the morning, but the splendid north
ern moonlight, and its reflection upon
the glittering snow, made. the whole
scene almost as bright as day.
On either side of the narrow road
the deep pine-woods lay, black and
ghostly; but amid their gloomy shad-
ows, as the squealing of the pig broke
the dreary silence, there suddenly APP
peared number of pale yellow spots
of light, very much like half-quenched
Goals.
''Be ready!" said Major Kamarof,
cooking his rifle; ''here comes the
wolves"
The cries Of the pig began to be an
swered by a sound which no one who
has once heard it can ever forget--not
the long, drearv howl wherewith some
supperless wolf may be heard bemOan-
inc himself in the Russian forests al
most any winter night, but the SHARE
snarling veil which shows that tnv
prey is fairly in sight.
Then there came a rush among the
frozen thickets, and all around the
sledge was a whirl of gaunt, gray
bodies, and bushy tails, and sharp,
white teeth, and lolling tongues and
glaring, yellow eyes.
Both rifles cracked at once, and two
of the wolves rolled, kicking and gas
ing, on the snow. Two more sho.-
followed moment later, and then came
the reports of the spare rifles and re-
volvers.
Every shot told, and the trampled
snow was strewn with writhing forms.
which were torn to pieces by their
famished comrades as fast as they
dropped.
But all this slaughter did not seem
to thin the ranks of the wolves one
whit. On the contrary, two more
seemed to join the pursuit for every
one that was killed; and Reginald
Marston, as he noted their savage dc
termination, began ia feel uneasy for
the first time.
Hitherto he had always supposed
that these cowardly creatures would
turn tail and run almost at the first
shot; and no doubt they would have
done so in any ordinary case. But this
winter had been an unusually hard
one even for Russia. and the beasts
were so furious with cold and hunger
that even their terror of firearms had
lost its hold upon them for the time.
Louder and louder grew the Xells,
closer anu cIOSeI OItoocu 1Hc sd dSO
swarm, till even the iron-nerved ma
jor began to look grave.
The driver knew the danger quite
as well as his masters, and urged his
horses to their utmost speed, though
in truth they needed little urging, with
a pack of hungry wolves at their heels.
Away flew the sledge, rocking from
side to side, as if just about to topple
over. But the wolves kept pace with
it, leaping up and trying to spring in,