Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1892-01-28
a RACE WITH WOLVES.
Boys Flight and Narrow Escape from
Hungry Wolves.

| A Boys Flight and Narrow Escape from
Hungry Wolves.
Turn out! Turn out! Boy LOST Every.
body turn out In search"
/ 1t was just at dusk one winters day IN
d town in northwestern Minnesota that a
man went up and down the streets crying
out as above, while he vigorously rang a
bell to still further attract attention.
The particulars were soon known A
| boy, twelve years old, named Ralph
| White, had been visiting his aunt in the
town. On that morning he had started
for his home, four miles out in the coun-
try. He ought to have reached there long
| enough before noon, but the day passed
and he did not appear. His father had
come TO town and given the alarm, and
within an hour thirty men were ready to
| go out.
Yen will wonder how the boy could
have been lost on public hig hway. Had
he stuck to the road he would have been
all right but after getting a mile and a
half from the village he attempted a
short cut through the forest to save dis
lance. The snow was six inches deep and
the weather cold; and we all believed tnat
i we did not find him that night he
| would certainly perish. Fortunately for
US, teanster had seen the boy enter the
woods, and we we're not long finding his
trail. His tracks were the only ones, and
he had gone along all right and kept the
right direction for about half mile.
Then he had begun to ramble, and it was
not long before we found where he had
walked IN circle.
When the lad had found that he was
turned around, as the saying is, he got
scared and ran as hard as he could, but
in the wrong direction. We had torches,
you understand, and it was an easy task
to follow him. AS we went forward on
his trail men shouted, horns were blown
and guns fred About four miles from
where we struck into the woods we found
where he had fallen down in the snow
After getting up he seemed to be tired out
and did not run any more for long time.
1t was just midnight when we tound
the boy overcoat on the snow--not the
overcoat, but heap of rags and tatters t.
represent it. Right there, also we found
the tracks Of wolves, and gave all hope Of
finding the lad alive.
1t had been cloudy, dark Gay, and the
wolves in that thick forest were astir and
had come upon MIN. The tracks now
showed that the lost boy had started off on
run, ahd that there were five wolves
were following him. A quater of a mile
further ON we found his red yarn mittins
all chewed up On the snow. There were
plenty of trees which he could have
climed, and when we found that he still
kept running we expected to come upon
his bones any minute.
About thirty rods beyond the mitteos
we found the remnants Of bis fur cap and
jacket. Every time he threw any thing
away the wolves stopped to investigate,
though this gave him the lead it was only
question of time when they would over
haul him. We had Just crossed a
glade and entered the thicket On tie other
side when we heard a growing and
gnashing Of teeth and caugh sight Of at
least three wolves sneakiag away. We
expected that the climax had occurred
when a voice suddenly called out:
''Here | am-up here, but I'm so cold |
can't come down.
the limbs of beech over our heads. We
soon had him down, but he could not
walk step His ears, nose, fugers and
toes were frost bittin, and in an hour more
he would have frozen to death. 1t was IA
ueSfe6S DeioW zero IHdG H1gbl, ana Ne Wds
in his shirt sleeves and barehended
He had got lost just as We figured out,
but about the time he saw the wolves he
thought he was on the right road for home
ana very near it. For this reason he did
not take to tree, but baitod the wolves
to gain time When he threw away his
cap and realized that he was still in 5he
woods he cimed tree, and was hardly off
the ground before the wolves came 10
They sat down to wait for him to become
their prey, ana had there been any delay
in our starting out on the search they
would surely have won the race.-Ex.