The morning call., 1892-07-17

diZIy-from walking, climbing, eOrk-screw-
ing that black and slippery serpent. My
both hands were bleeding from contact with
the sharp edges Of the walls of snow. and l
had long since stuck my pistol IN my belt to
surely keep The powder dry But only
three miles more and ! would hail and
shout above the pine tops down Dead Horse
Hill, and / knew l would have answer
/ felt there was something behind me;
had not turned my head. | was too nearly
dizzy already, and all my sense and strength
was now in demand for the next few last
miles. So knew had not looked back.
Now, l have met plenty Of people who
have felt the nearness or the coming of
some person. This is not new Speak of
the devil and he will appear" is an adage
born Of this and Is old, but | have never
met any one who has felt tue presence of
beast l will not dwell further on this than
TO say briefly that l not only knew that
| was being closely followed by beasts, but
l knew they were black; aud i knew there
were three OF them; and / knew they we're
not down IN the trail. l did not know what
they were. But the one thing that most
startled me was the ghostly fact that they
made no noise. a dog makes scratching
sort of noise on the snow crust as he moves
over IT, a bears claws will rattle like
bones on the snow as he walks; all beasts
IN fact, except those of the cat family, can
he heard on occasions like this. But these
black and ghostly beasts were as noiseless
as are the dead
l found myself almost flying, six shooter
In hand, for the summit was in sight; and
the top was almost bare of snow, swept by
cyclOnic tempests. / sprang on, on, up,
out Of my chasm of snow. and wheeled
bout. There they came-three-just as
B ad seen them. They did not stop, and l
fired Instantly. ! do not miss my aim with
pistol. There Is more than one man be-
sides myself, however, to tell that. The
gannt, ugly beast threw his head around
snapped yiciously at companl ION, and then
spTang twice or thrice around, rolled down
and was dead.
Then ali the picture and story books
which had read about wolves came back.
had expected TO see the others tear and eat
him as in the books. They did not so much
as snap al him as he spun about in his death
struggles. l had always seen wolves with
red mouths wide open. The mouths of
these were all as tightly shut as steel traps.
Were they all males?
Five hundred yards morn and / would be
on the top of Dead Horse Hill and could be
heard. IAN. few. ! tried to shout a. |
ran, but feeling my voice gone, ] wheeled
about, derringer in my right hand, and
blaze away. The shaggy brute fell, but was
up and on me Instantly, ahead of the other
one. You see my right hand is not strong
or steady. Using the other / struck him
in the teeth with MY six-shooter; no time
to shoot now. These old pistols were a
good arm indeed; better than the new ones.
But you had to take time TO cock them. and
1t took two hands 10 do it; and then the
long barrel made the pistol useless in hand
to hand fight
But now the horrible part of the whole
story happened. The wedge which holds
the pistol together by sad misfortune struck
the teeth OF the brute and few out leaving
only the useless butt of the pistol in hand.
The wounded wolf seized this left hand and