Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1891-09-10
SAVED BY THE CATTLE.
Two Boys Narrow Escape from a
Pack OF Hungry Wolves.


II is fact" said !. slipping a cartridge
into the right barrel Of ny fovvlinc piece
that the caribou are getting yearly
more numerous in the interior OF New
Brunswick. while other game seems to
be disappearing. As for the wild
pigeons. YOU may say they are all gone
Here l have been on the 90 since before
sunrise, and that bird there IS the only
sign of a pigeon I have 50 much as got
q glimpse Of
Well" replied nv companion. al
old farmer OF the neigh borhoo6. las
for the pigeons l can't say how il IS
In old times I've seen them so plenty
round here Won could knock them down
with a stick: that is, if you were any
ways handy with stick. But they do
say that caribou are increasing because
the wolves have disappeared You see
the wolves used 70 be the worst enemy
Of the caribou. because they would run
them down nice and handy in the win
ter when the snow was deep and the
crust so thin that the caribou were
bound to break through II at every
step. However. l don't believe there
mas been a wolf seen in this part of the
country for fifty years. and it is only
within the last ten years or 50 that the
caribou have got more plenty
We We're sitting. the old farmer and
myself. on ragged snake-fence that
bounded buckwheat field overlooking
the river -. John. some twenty miles
above Fredericton The field was
new clearing and the ripened buck
wheat reared its brown heads among
host OF blackened and distorted
stumps- Il was a crisp and delicious
autumn morning. and ,he solitary
pigeon that rewarded my long tramp
over the uplands was one that I had
surprised al its breakfast in the buck
wheat. Now. finding that my new &C
uuaintance was likely 10 prove inter
esting and further search for pigeons
unprofta Die l dropped my gun gently
into the fence corner. Ioosened my belt
couple of holes and asked the farmer
if ne had himself ever seen any wolves
IN New brunswick
Not 70 say many" was the old
mans reply: but they say that trou-
bles never comes single. and 50, what
wolves E.srs seen. I saw them all IN
heap. 80 20 speak
As he spoke the old man fixed his
eyes on hilltop across the river, wit n
story. ! settled into an attitude Of en-
couraginE attention. and waited for
him 70 20 on. His ha13 stole deep into
the pocket OF his gray homespun trou-
sel-s.and brought 20 vie = = fis OF black
Jack from which he Enawed q
thoughtful bite Instinctively he
passed the tobacco 70 me, and on my
declining 1t, which did with grave po-
likeness. he began the following story:
When l was little shaver. about
thirteen years old. l was living on
farm across the river. some ten miles
I'D. 1t was new farm which father
was cutting out of the woods; but II
had good big bit OF 'intervale, so we
were able to keep a lot Of stock
lone afternoon. late in the fall IA
Their sent me down to the intervale-
which was good two miles from the
house. TO bring the cattle home. They
were pasturing on the aftermath but
The weather was getting bad. and the
grass was about done, and father
thought the critters a. we called
them. would be better IN the barn Ny
little ten-year-old brother went with
ne. TO help me drive them. That was
the time found out there were wolves
The feed being scarce. the cattle
were scattered badly, and IL was sup
per time before we got them together,
at the lower end OF the intervale. may
b. three miles and a half from home
We didn't mind the lsteneSs OF the
hour. however. though we were get
ting pretty hungry, for we knew the
moon would be up right after
shutdown. The cattle after a bit
appeared to catch on to the fact
that they were going home TO
snug quarters and good feed
and then they drove easy and
hung together When we had gone
about half way up the intervale. keep
ing along by the river, the moon got
~ and looked al rs over the hills very
sharp and thin 'Ughr says Teddie 70
me. in half a whisper. don't she make
the shadows blaclx?' He hadn't got the
words more than out OF his mouth
when he heard a long, queer howl1ng
sound from away over the other she
Of the intervale: and the little fellow
grabbed me by the arm, with his eyes
fairly popping out of his head L can
see his startled face now; but he
was a pluclzy lad. for his size, as ever
walked
Whats that?' he whispered