St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-03-05
BATTLE WITH WOLVES
Narrow Escape From the
Reeking Jaws Of a Pack Of
Hungry Brutes.
They Swarm Ravenously
Around a Solitary Mount
ain Hopseman.
He Slaughters Them by
Wholesale, but the Wild
Gang Gets Thicker.
Finally the Brave Man Is I'm
horSed and Thinks He
Is a Gonep.

those treacherous, mean and contempt
able towards called wolves, and for
long time | put them on par with
coyotes, but | did them an injustice,
says writer in the st. Louis Globe
Democrat. Hunger and numbers will
make them sufficiently dangerous to
satisfy the most exacting. had an ex-
perience with few of them one winter
up in Montana, the recollection of
which makes me shudder even today. l
had been for some months engaged in
doing the work of special messenger
or courier for syndicate looking for
mineral up there. and one day found L
would have tc go across from where we
were. near Fort Logan. to LewiStown.
about hundred miles northeast.
Just as j was starting worthless old
Indian, who generally hung around the
fort. said in his characteristic way,
evolves heap hungry" and, though
appearing to pay no attention to his re-
mark. got me an additional revolver
and box of cartridges. l expected to
reach the ranch of a friend that night
and did so, staying with him and start
ing out bright and early the next morn
ing for LewiSt0wn. Not wolf had |
seen the preceding day. but by o'clock
on the second day their barking began.
and in All hour there was pack quietly
forming behind me and coming along
in the swinging lope and keeping about
the same distance behind me all the
time.
Presently they came within range
and L killed one. The rest ate him up
before could tell it, almost, and were
aIr col. Il III
and the same process was repeated.
This was kept up for about all hour,
when they grew SO hold and there were
SO many OF them that felt it best to
save my ammunition until it was neces-
sary to act in self-defense. / was not
particularly uneasy. for, although /
knew it had been hard winter and The
beasts were ravenOuS, was out in the
open country at MONDAY, and they still
kept few feet back. This aid not
continue long, however. They soon
began running up and shaping at my
horses heels, and now for the first time
began to grow apprehensive.
| first thought l would hOot when
ever they came close enough, but /
found that would not do. Then de-
cided to shoot only when they came up
and actually tried to exercise their
teeth. But even this kept me busy.
Presently one of them fastened his
teeth in my hore's leg and
hung there till | shot him.
and in short while had all could do
to keep them off at all. My horse be-
came almost unmanageabie. and finally.
stumbling over two that were hanging
to him in front. fell headlong. Aswe
were going in galop. and | was look
ing at couple springing at him from be-
behind, and had just shot one, Twas, of
course, totally unprepared for this fall,
and went. it seemed to me, twenty five
feet over his head. ,f.asg ..
ATpack of the gray devils were on me
in All instant, butI at once arose and,
killing two or three, became freed from
them. My horse also arose, and shook
himself free from them and. to my utter
dismay, went flying out over the pral-
RE. What | thought was my ruin, how
ever. was my salvation. AS the horse
started off the wolves followed him, and
every one joined in the chase, leaving
me entirely alone. i had no time to
spare and. making up my mind in
stantly, struck out ahead.
Ii could reach small ranch some
ten miles ahead | knew l would be all
right, and, of course, it would be folly to
try to 90 back, SO | settled down to a
walk, which ] hoped to keep up for
hours. A glance 10 the left showed me
that my morse was trying to make his
way back over the road we had come.
In about an hour or more / ap-
preached one of the few ravines that
one sees in that country, along the side
of which the road ran, and heard a short
distance ahead that sharp, swapping
snarl that wolves give when they are
worrying some animal. | could not
avoid them, and as there appeared to be
only two or three l drew my revolver
and walked right ahead.
Turning corner suddenly I came
upon sight, which l do not believe L
can ever forget. About dozen wolves
had surrounded and are now holding at
bay and trying to worry to death a
splendid specimen of an old buffalo BULL
The skin hung in Shreds on his legs,
and he was bleeding and standing in a
pool of blood. The vicious, hungry beasts
had lost about half their number on the
horns or under the hoofs of the old fell
low. but they had actually torn out his
eyes in the struggle, and he stood there
with the small bluff behind him and
with his face to the foe, stamping and
crushing them when he could, though
stone blind. As turned the corner
large wolf had sprung upon him, and l
at once shot him.
At the sound of my pistol the old bull
started and trembled violently, but
feeling his enemy fall at his feet, he
jumped upon him with incredible fury
and stamped him out of all shape. The
next one l shot the bnll seemed to re-
alize that it was a friend rather than an
enemy who had arrived, for he felt for
the wolf as it fell, and stamped it
as before, but did not seem at all
frightened at my pistol shot. The long.
dismal howls which had been hearing
in every direction kept coming nearer
all the time. and l was fully five miles
from the ranch of Mr.. Lewis had
hoped TO reach. 1t would be sure death
to try to reach Lewis. so | decided |
would stay and take my chances with
the buffalo bull. l would at least have
the advantage of the ravine.
The wolves increased in numbers far
faster than / could thin them out, and
in short while we were surrounded
by the swapping fends. Slowly, but
constantly, the space between me and
| the old bull ieSsened. He became so
convinced that / was friend that he
made no effort to guard the side toward
me at all, but devoted his entire ener-
gies to the opposite side and in front.
| had all could do to protect myself
and keep the scoundrels off, but could
not resist occasionally turning and
killing one for the old bull, which he
seemed to appreciate, Judging from the
vigor with which he demolished each
one | shot.
But, slowly, though surely, the wolves
became bolder and more numerous. 1t
was simply question of time. and
was beginning to give up, when l heard
rifle shot in the distance. l answered
it with two quick shots and then waited.
1t seemed like hours, but was only a
minute or two, till heard the rifle shot
again-this time much closer. In a very
short while ] was saved. My host
of the evening before had lost some
cattle. and while looking them up with
several Of his hands had come across my
horse while the wolves were deyouring
him. AS no signs appeared of my being
| injured he felt satisfied l was some
where within few miles and needing