The Irish standard., 1891-05-16
SURROUNDED IS We. N
Ohio Not Yet Relieved from the Unpleas'
s5Es # ant Presence OF Wild Beasts. e

ant Presence Of Wild i5eastS.
VI Ninety-nine persons Ia q hundred,
SAYS 8 Toledo correspo ndeptip the i
New York Times, would declare FROM
their general knowledg Of the state that
there are not wolves enough il Ohio to
seriously threaten any body Had they
been with Mr.. e. L. Valois, of Toledo,
a few weeks ago IN one Of his hunting
trips to what is known as the Oak
Openings, barren tract not far from
5Sylyania and about twelve miles from
Toledo, they would have had abundant
reason to change their minds.
Mr.. Valois is one Of the best-known
insurance men in Toledo, and is widely
known as an enthusiastic and successful
sportsman. Nobody in northwestern
Ohio is more familiar with the haunts
of grouse, squirrels and other small
game than he, and few marksmen in
that region excel him in skill. .One
morning several weeks ago he took his
BEST dog and started in light one
horse spring wagon for the Oak Open
ings. The region is peculiar. It is
large, barren tract, partly prairie and
partly covered with stunted trees.
Nobody lives there, and for years it has
been hunters paradise. Ruf1ied
grouse, prairie chicken, with an oc
casional deer, have been found in large
numbers. and only in the last two years
or so have there been any signs of de-
crease For miles there is not a dwell
ing; and it is often difficult for man to
find his way. Indeed, it has not been
CIR 11.11r
estate man of Toledo was lost for five
days in this tangle of stunted forest and
barren open.
The-day Mr.. Valois had chosen proved
a clo11dy one, with frequent hurries bf
snow, but it was an unusually good day
for shooting, and before night MIR.
Valois had the bottom of his wagon
filled with fine game. The clouds broke
toward evening and the moon rose full
and bright. 1t was nearly seven
o'clock before he started for home.
The roads are winding trails through
the woods and around ponds and
swamps. and slow progress was made.
It was an hour or more before he began
to get out of the woods, for he had
pushed further than usual into the
widest parts of the tract.
AS he proceeded he heard strange
sounds in the woods about him, howl
ings and barkings, but gave them little
thought. He knew there were some
wolves Of the common gray species in
the opening and myriads of foxes, but
had not the remotest fear of attack
until as he neared the edge Of the woods
he was startled by pitiful cries from
his dog under the wagon. He stopped
his horse and jumped to the ground,
gun in hand, to see what was the mat
ter, and was surprised to find himself
surrounded by wolves. Throwing his
gun hastily to his shoulder, he fred into
the pack, killing what he took to be the
leader, but instead of being frightened
away as he had hoped, they rushed at
and devoured their dead leader and then
began to crowd closer around the wagon
in ever-increasing numbers.
The dogs courage deserted him, and
he started toward the open with part of
the pack after him. Valois fred right
and left rapidly, but the hungry crea-
lures crowded closer around him.
They leaped into the wagon and de-
voured the game, and then rushed at
the horse, swapping at his legs and
leaping at his throat. Before Valois
could climb back into the wagon the
horse started at full speed and the hun
ter was left with a score of hungry
wolves around him in as ugly a predic-
ament as one could imagine. He had
only eight shells left in his belt, and
the barking, snarling pack around him
there in the stunted timber nearly un-
manned him. y;
The first impulse Was to seek safety
in a tree, but he soon discovered that
though the pack made fearful racket
and would occasionally rush toward
him, they lacked the ferocious courage
of the great timber wolves. He used his
eight shells carefully and judiciously,
meantime slowly working himself out
of the woods. After about an hours
fighting he got well away from the
whole pack and started on foot for Syl-
vania. the nearest railroad station.
There he got freight train about mid
night and arrived safely at home before
morning, where he found his horse
awaiting him considerably the worse for
it's trip home. The dog has not yet put
in an appearance.
Mr.. Valois will not soon be caught
again alone at night in the Oak Open
ings, even if they are within about
dozen miles Of the corporation line Of
city Of $4,000 people, the fourth in size
in Ohio.
Sounds of the Jungle.
lately made two shooting trips to
the jungles of lower Burmah, and each
time in the midst of the greatest hard
ships The forest scenery had the
power to force itself upon the notice as
seeming each day more and more i'm
pressive and magnificent, writes a trav-
eler. At such times both the silence
and the strange sounds of the jungles,
each in their different way, combineato
affect the sportsman; the occasional
weird hootings of the monkeys in the
treetops; the distant flap, aap of an
elephants ears breaking in upon the
perfect stiffness as you approach the
herd, or perhaps, instead, the penny
trunDet-lika squeak which Announces