The San Saba news. [volume] (San Saba, Tex.) 1873-1966, 1889-03-22

v
five or six feet long, very narrow, thin
and smooth as glass. They were bound
to the foot by straps, and with them one
accustomed to their use can skim o. er
the snow with great swiftness. Although
was thoroughly at home on ice skates,
1t was some time, with Lars's teachi<S
: before could keep pace with him.
After getting little away back from
: the lake, the country was open, with the
1 exception of strips of timber, bordering
I the streams. Upon the banks of two of
these, we decided to set some of the
1 traps, which had been taking nothing
about the lake for several days.
In the afternoon | started a doe, in a
broad strip of timber, near creek As
1t bounded Off ever the snow l fired, bct
missed. Scarcely had the report been
heard when my companions rife cracked,
and at the same moment heard him cry
7 out sharply, as If in distress.
0luch alarmed, l fastened in the di-
rection of the sounds, and found that a
most distressing accident had happened
The doe had run toward Lars, who,
while skimming along to get nearer
/ and more effective shot, had broken
through the snow which had drifted
over some small shrubs. His rifle was
discharged as he fell forward, and the
bullet had entered his left ankle, making
terrible wound.
Lars Bjork was a man of much cour-
age and as sroical as an Indian, but the
pain was so great that he swooned dead
away. ], on my part, was 50 overcome,
that for moment | lost my head en-
tirely and could do nothing. But Lars
soon recovered consciousness and in
structed me how to bandage the limb
and stop the flow Of blood.
How to get him to camp was the next
question. In this matter too, ] ars's (
brain was more fertile than mine Some 1
sort of hand-sled, he declared, must be .
improvised, and 1 must go to camp,
which was about three miles distant, af- /
ter the axe, auger and ropes
disliked to leave him alone in his
distress, but there was no other way so,
after providing him with bed of boughs,
I started of, and as had now become
expert in the use of those wonderful
skees, in less than an hour I had made
the trip and was back again
Obeying Lars's direction, I now cut
two birch saplings having natural crooks,
for runners, and smoothed them off with
the axe. Then l bored holes and put in
cross-bars. Upon these l laid boughs
and one of the robes which had brought
from camp. The sled was now ready,
and my wounded companion managed to
crawl upon it.
The load was not very heavy after get
ting under way over the smooth, hard
snow. We went on at good pace and
had accomplished half mile from the
place where the accident occurred, when
CHANGING to look back, saw four or five
animals about the spot, scTamUting duu
apparently fighting with each other.
mentioned it to Lars. With an effort he
turned to look back.
They're wolves" he said. ''Get to ,
camp as fast as you can ~
The brutes had sneaked from some ,
covert IN the timber as soon as we had .
started, and were licking the blood off
the snow. They might even have been ]
in pursuit of the doe, the cause CT our |
misfortune.
As we had frequently seen them while {
out trapping, | did not at first feel much
alarmed. But soon a series of prolonged {
howls from behind warned us that, mad S
dened by extreme hunger and the taste
of blood they were in pursuit.. and that '
others were joining in the chase, coming |
out from the timber as we hurried along. {
glanced at Lars. His face was very |
white, but he grasped his rifle firmly.
I now fully realized our peril and put S
forth my utmost efforts. c
The country was half-open here. l
heard that it is the habit of wolves, a
when in large numbers, to try to surround r
their prey. was certain that was what G
they meant to do if they could come up I
with US. Moreover, / soon found that I
they were gaining, in spite of my exer- S
tons. +
We had covered hardly more than a q
mile and a half of the distance, when in
going over some concealed shrub. where S
the snow was shallow, the sled broke q
through and threw me down. '
| thought it was all over with US then, q
but was not entangied, nor was any s
thing broken, and scrambling to my +
feet, l jerlled the sled out of the snow h
and was off again in a winkling. But S
the howls of the pack had come fear b
fully nearer.
'Fly to camp, mine friendl Fly to p
camp Don't mind mel'' the brave Nor 0
veg an now exclaimed, as we dashed 0
along. They'll have us both. But n
drop me aud you can get to the camp" S
''Fire back into themm 1 painted, for t
felt ready to drop. s.
Lars managed to turn around and dis a
charged his rife, and at this unexpected f
salute the oncoming pack halted for 81
This gave US little time and
made the most of it, yet we had not u
gone fifty yards farther before the troop D
were again in full cry; and although he q
continued to fire as fast as he could re. =,
load, the ravenous brutes now paid no h
attention to the reports. a,
But at last, and, as it CHANGED, with n
his final cartridge, he hit one of a
the foremost of the pack. The Ii
creature fell, and Immediately the others ii
set upon him after the manner of wolves a
This again gave US little start. Yet p
they quickly tore their wounded fellow g,
to pieces and were after us again, more
greedy than ever, before we had got out :,
Of their sight among the scattered tim T.
Der. Then l thought of fox which we u,
had trapped, and had tossed under the II
robe beside Lars, at starting. !,
That foxm gasped. pitch that -,
outp u
Overheard went the precious gray fox. :,
Then on-on-on, for life again But y
we were within twenty rods of camp ~
now. and with a fresh squirt dashed for d d
he door and reaching it, ran inside, ~
lied and all, at one final leap. -
The door was slammed to and barred :;
lnd mad at our escape, the hungry crea- o. .,
ures dashed themselves against it, like -
/ foaming sea-waye.
But we were safe. l dropped upon
.he camp floor exhausted.
Till nearly midnight the famished N
animals ragged about the hut. Then Of
title later we heard sudden and most 70
appalling cutlery. But it was as quickly gi
rushed. The wolves had broken into in
he ''lean-to." D,
Poor Bingol There was nothing left III
If him to tell of his fate. bl
In the morning all was quiet. took hi
Lars, who had passed night of agony, hi
m tho clad and AGAIN eaf off down tho Ii