The state herald., 1892-03-04
CHASED BY THE WOLVES.
THE EXPERIENCES OF A VEN
TUREsoME BOY.
Periious Adventures In Forost--In tho
Wilds Of Pennsylvanis in tho
Winter OF l881-A Provl-
dcutial Ecscuc.

III tuOSe uttyS We uuu 10 get our oxen
shod in South Canaan. sixteen miles.
from whero we lived. and In February
Of that year my father sent mo over
there with yoke OF four-year- old
steers. A long thaw had taken the
snow off, and all tho frost out OF the
ground. and the weather was much
like early April when l started for
South Canaan at daylight 1t took
mo till IL o'clock to get there. and
when the blacksmith had finished
shoeing the oxen ii was in the aftor-
noon.
"a regular March SHOWS storm had
sprung up from tho Northwest by tho
timo was ready toSstart for home,
and saw that l was going to havo n
tough tip OF 1t II the storm continued
as violent us 1t had set in. But tho
moon was about full. and calculated
that l wouldn't get caught out In
pitch darkness oven il tho snow
sauall kept up. l had to drive tho
steers through thick woods nearly NIL
tho way. and. rs wolves wero numer-
Gus all through this region at that
time. l felt little ticklish about my
night end OF the journey homeward.
1t was sundown whon entered tho
first long stretch OF woods on my way
to the Dutch Flats and tho snow was
then falling so fast and in such big
flakes that 1t almost blinded me.
A terrific gale was blowing, but
was going In Tho same direction that
the wind was and felt somewhat en-
couraged on that account. The storm
increased in violence and tho wind
fairly howled through the forest as !
directed the steers across the trail.
and / remember that felt every min
uto rs though great trees wore going
to fall and crush mo- had mover been
n bit frightened in tho woods before,
for had been raised In tho forost
but own up that was badly scared
that night. When | reached Dutch
Flats woodman coaxed me TO put up
for tho night had good notion TO
do so, but knew that my folks would
worry about mo and probably sit up
all night waiting for me, and SO
ploddci through tho snow AT tho head
OF tho near steer and soon passed
Promised Land pond. Then ! struck
across tho hill to tho head OF tho
Buckhill creek, and as ! was leading
The steers along tho trail down the
mountain side the snow stopped fall
ing tho clouds broke up and occasional
glimpses OF tho moon made mo feel n
good sight better than | had for n
couple OF hours
My folks rcckoned in tho morning
that / would be home by dark. | was
six miles from home when tho moon
came out and it was all Of three hours
after nightfall. but felt all right after
tho binding snow ceased, although
the wind was blowing hard. All at
once / heard nolso in tho dense
woods some distance behind me, and
halted tho steors and listened. What
heard made me shiver. for IL was the
bowling OF pack Of wolves, and 1
quickly saw that tho bloodihirsty
brutos wero running down tho trail
directly toward me. There wcre Mt
least n dozen in tho pack. and in
stantly realized that they wcre bent
on attacking me. The winter had
been uncommonly severe up to the
timo OF tho thaw and In n twinkling
l recalled tho fact that the wolves had
slaughtered good many domestic un-
imals in the Pocono mountains within
few weeks put the whip TO the
steers and in II moment had them
going Mt brisk trot behind me. The
bowling pack rushed down the hull
like lot OF fiends and before had
gone nm eighth OF milo further the
hungry brutes wero swapping and
snarling Mt tho heels OF tho steers.
The steers Immediately began TO
plunge and below, and tho wolves bit
their leg until they started on the run
and came near trampling mo under
their hoofs.
Seeing that the steers were ungov.
ernablc and that the wolves would kill
me II got In their path. threw tho
CAD away seized tho yoke Of tho near
steer and jumped astrido OF his neck.
The steers kept tho trail and ran like
wild cattle. believing Mt every bound.
and had nll could do TO keep from
being hurled headlong over tho near
ones horns. could toll from the
bowling OF tho wolves that they wero
close ut the heels OF tho runaway
steers but had no chance TO look
around. / expected at every second
that tho steers would sheer OF from
tho trail and bring up against the
trees but scared a, they wcro thoy
kept In II until We had lod tho wolves
all OF two miles down tho Buckhill
creek.
The steers pan,cd In tho frosty nj r
and tho wolves continued 10 howl.
by that timo nil tho clouds hnd disap.
pcarcd. and tho moon shown so bright
that could SEQ ahead In tho woods
quito distance.
suddenly heard some ono shout
and tho next moment snw ,hroe mon
standing at tho side OF tho trail several
rods head. Before l realized this the
steers dnshod past tho mon and then
honrd rlilos crack number OF times.
and noticed that tho wolves stopped
bowling nt tho hools OF tho stcors.
Pretty soon tho steers slakoncd tholr
speed and | talked 10 thcm until thcy
came 10 n walk. when jumped OF aud
halted them turning them from tho
trnil. Tho rifles kept cracking up tho
crook. and ] ran back and found that
tho thrco mon had killed. eleven OF tho
wolves They. wcro my father and
two Older brothers and ,hcy had
started out In search OF mo. fearing
tim, something had happened to mo.
! was about used mp. aud. Ms ! said
before, | came nearer losing my lifo
that night than ! over havo since
thon. New York Tribune.