The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1892-07-28

ing the Smoky river, in western Kan
6aS.
In those early times buffalo, ante
lope and the large prairie wolf en-
joyed unchecked freedom, where the
pillow of the farmer has made productive
wheat and corn fields.
The cabin was occupied by Trapper
Wheeler and his son Ed, a robust,
strapping youth of eighteen, who had
left their home in Michigan to enjoy
the sport of hunting and trapping in
the new country, which was just then
beginning to settle up.
Wheeler and his boy had stopped a
few days at one of the settlements in
the eastern part of, the territory, but
the political agitation of the times was
too hot for them there. Both father and
son cared far more, then, for hunting,
: fishing and trapping than for politics,
SO they went clear beyond sight and
hearing of the settlements and their
fierce contentious.
The Indians did not offer to modest
them, and, here, buried from all civili-
~zation, they pursued their favorite
sport to their hearts content.
They never complained for the COM
forts they had given up, for the streams
and prairies yielded them food in album
dance; besides, they were laying up a
fine store of hides and furs, which
would some day being them in a snug
sum.
One day Trapper Wheeler set off
bright and early to secure supply of
ammunition from some traders who
were visiting tribe of Indians about
twenty miles distant.
After his father had gone, Ed busted
himself cleaning his gun and revolver,
then started out along the river and
through tie brush to examine the traps,
OF which they had great number.
He decided to visit the farthe,1nost
ones first, so if they had secured any
game his load would grow heavier by
degrees, as he returned home.
He had gone about mile and half
from the cabin when he was startled by
the howl of wolf, about three hundred
yards off on the prairie.
1t was midwinter. and though there
? was no sun on the ground. the wolves
being so numerous had difficult matter
to get much to eat, and as natural re-
suit they had become somewhat
ferocious.
Ed Wheeler knew this, but he felt no
fear until the howl was taken up be-
hind him, to his left and to his right.
The prairie seemed suddenly to re-
sound with their hideous bowling, and
the young trapper realized that they
were following his trail.
He had not brought his gun with him,
intending to be absent from the cabin
only a short time, but he carried his
revolver in his belt and would not suf-
fer them to approach too n ear his heels.
He determined, however, not to fire
upon the beasts unless they pursued
him too closely. He had only two
charges in his revolver. and had neg
lected to bring any ammunition along.
A few hundred rods before him was a
thinly timbered stream, which flowed
into the river about half a mile dis
tant. Toward this Ed Wheeler was
making his way when his attention
frst became attracted to the wolves.
He h ad no notion of being attacked
by them out on the open prairie, so he
struck out on a kind of 'tlog trot'' for
the creek.
That was signal for the yelping
beasts to increase their pace.
!, They came tearing along through the
long prairie grass, brown and dead,
but still tall and thick, in swift pursuit
after the young trapper.
80 Ed Wheeler began to realize that it
would be a hard run for life against
such pack as had suddenly material
: ICED in his rear. ~ =. -
7 He judged that the gang was being
almost constantly reinforced by new
recruits, whose bowls could be heard
nearly every minute in some new quar-
ter.
He broke into swifter run If he
could only reach tree on the creek, he
would climb it and defy his hungry
would-be captors
He had almost gained the stream,
when his foot struck an unseen log half
buried in the rank grass, and down he
came head1ong to the ground.
/ Before he was fairly aware what had
bsppened to himself. the whols pack