The Yazoo sentinel. (Yazoo City, Miss.) 1878-1916, 1891-04-23


limbs, the foremost wolf arrived. ard
pair Of jaws snapped together lust be
loN the schoolmas.er's coat tail with
click like the shutting Of steel trap
BY the time Gideon had settled himself
securely among the branches four or Eve
wolves we're jumping NJ him.
He would have felt safer a notch high.
er among the branches had IL not been
for the unpleasant creature abofe him.
which Kissed and spit Whenever he
shifted his position. At the foot Of the
tree the wolves howed and mashed
their teeth. They had been ioined by
others, increasing their number 70 seven,
all impatient for supper.
! A newcomer now appeared upon the
{ scene large, black animal, which
! crushed through the snow crust heading
straight for thAAIee Gideon saw that
! II was a bear, add gave himself up for
lost
''Hell climb the tree sure, he thought,
land then where'l. be1"
The wolve, did not at first appear ID.
clined 20 meddlc with the great creature.
which numbered along as IL he did not
care for anything that miaht be Ia his
path. As he came near them, growing,
they for moment gave way before him,
lcaping to the left and right. Then one
! snapped at him from the rear which
seemed to give the others courage and
/ all together they sprng upon him.
Gideon blew his born loudly ia tLehope
TO Brighten the big animal from taking
refuge in tue tree There ensued free
for.all tight, a tumbling mass Of gray
andback fur, but the bear broke away
from his foes and reached the foot Of the
tree.
"Now, he's coming up" said the I'M
fortunate musician TO himself without
ceasing to toot his horn. Its good-by
me-
But the bear had other plans. In the
rocky ground, the main roots Of the tree
growing over two or three nearly buried
granite boulders had lett hole which
the decay of the trunk had further en-
larged. In this cavity the bear had taken
up winter quarters and he was now at
his own threshold, Rearing with his |
back against the tree he spared like
boxer knocking the two foremost wolves |
SPRAYING; then dropping on all fourg be I
defended himself with his forepaws as
he was backed into his den.
al wonder what critter'll head for this
tree next" he groaned. "They don't
seem to know Of any other place to
go to. There Ones a-coming now
It's from the sky this time
A huge~form came booming through
the air toward him, with tapping wings
and four kicking legs. Gideon twisted
his legs around the'branch braced him.
elf bard and blew his loudest note. At
The sound the great horned owl winging
MS way homeward with rabbit in his
claws changed his course so as to avoid
he tree and went his way into the
The schoolmaster noticed another good
'ifect of his horn blowing At the first !
notes the loupcervier had run up the tree /
is far as he could 20, and from the top.
most fork, with only his head showing,
ooked as disguised and frightened as
he forlorn human being did dozen
eet below him. Gideon found hissDerele.
marc ALI cnuiy *Atg. aesffsA.M hnl,l4.
we're cramped and hd wis sgeferaIlN Inn
comfortable But he could see naspa1sr-ss
'eet of quitting it until daylight might
ring relief, unless indeed, before thar
lme arrived, he should become be- q
umbed aud fall among the wolves.
There was little likelihood that peo. +
lie would be moving on the road at that Il
our, but on the bare. chance that X
lmber team might pass Gideon kept on NJ
lowing his horn. From time to time Il
varied his calls of distress by falling W
ITO tne strains of practice-tunes. Then OF
} keep from getting benumbed he would ra
ap MS sides with his hands and kick al
gorously. The wolves, now nine in th
lmber were all the time moving about
meath him, with their eyes on the un. an
lppy musician ''up tree lai
A bright idea for warming himself and to
'eping his heart up struck the shiver of
g schoolmaster, who had some matches sta
his pocket. Tearing from the tree.
unk a sheet of dry birch bark. he ma
He'd it into a funnel-shaped torch and be-
shted it. making a cheerful illumina. STA
)n When it burned down near his no
igers it served to kindle a fresh roll pre-
nich he made ready. This went on
It'll his fifth torch was burning low scu
hen, as he reached forward 10 tear the
ray another strip of bark, he saw lii, the
blaze springing up on the snow be- the
ath him, The bear in squeezing ont but
pm his den had scattered on the crus, wo,
quantity Of dry leaves and rotten ord
'od, and the stump Of torch had sci at $
EN- on fire The blaze cIept 10 tbe the
1t of the tree, the dry birch bark I
nght fire like tinder and the wolves in
ew back in terror as a torrent of flame a IL
she'd up the tree. the
Gideon backed out toward the end If har,
limb Just in time to escape scorch- and
!. Twelve or fifteen feet overhead viii
ioup cerviey followed his example II
4 now stood craning its neck in every NOR
eetion on the lookout for chance 10 suec
MP ana run. adm
The bear beneath them was not bannv dose
the flames worked Their wav into bis traiI
until the smoke ana heat were more Their
q he could stand, ana out he bolte6 half
the woods. , few feet away from the Ii
the wolves ieli upon him and Their saili
Tie was renewed The loup.cervier carr
ught 1t a good time 10 escape. and prea
nping on Gideo2s shoulder 10 break Or
.all-to the no small damage Of the sea {
NJ mas clothes and nearly knocking watc
from the limb 1t rebouaded TO the whic
v crust beneath and was at once storr
need upon 10y two wolves. whom IL ouicl
husv in a er,s.. -. Z. a. ~