Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1899-12-23

on them-yellow. snarling. whetted for
slaughter. lusting for blood.
The soldiers backed upon the rocks
and with rifles at the ready peered out
into the night. Groveling behind them,
thrusting at the sheer wall as II he
would seek refuge in its pitiless brenst,
moaning. abJect, huddled and scarce
human, crouched the guide. Strad-
ding across him, gibbering, calling,
laughing aloud his glecless mirth,
, churnlng the snow with shoeless feet,
beating with bound hands upon the
stones, stood the captive and spurned
the covering wretch with his tramp
ings.
A score of PAGES away the gray
wolves ringcd them In and licked their
lean jaws. Thrusting and jostling one
upon another, they gnped upon their
prey ravenously, lashing themselves
by slow degrees to the desperation of
attack.
The sergeant was mutterlng and
cursing. lingering with nervous hands
at the lock of his rifle.
He turned and with n kick and fierce
oath quicted the winnings Of the
guide. At the same moment his glance
rested on the prisoner. A peculiar ex-
preston passed his face. AS one who
acts on sudden impulse, he drew from
his belt his sheathed knife and cut say.
agely at the lashings that bound the
| others wrists. With the strength Of
despair-the despair that poises all on
one last throw--he ilung him forward
almost into the jaws of the clamoring,
| fighting throng.
run, son of dog, run" he roared.
Courses be thick on you! Make into
the forest!'
With a yell that rang and shrilled
unearthily above the baying OF the
pack the madman smote fiaillike upon
the closed ranks of eager famine,
bursting the serried line by mere force
of impact and surprise. Out into the
drift swept avenues he leaped, and
with hot teeth agleam and howls as
from the pit the torrent of wolves
swirled together and swept upon his
| track.
A short 60 yards he held his ad-
vantage. Then with snap the fangs
of the leader met in his heshless thigh.
Screaming. he turned and with ma
MAC strength seized in each hand a
white toothed jaw and rent and split
them one from each other.
AS he cast away the torn and bloody
mask, like a crested wave the pack
flung itself upon him, believing for
slaughter, snarling, tangled, biting
with unseeing fury each others twist
ed limbs.
Above the wretch's head a pine
branch ran out, bent with the gales of
scores of winters, frost shrunk, but
gnarled to sapless strength. Bleed
ing, desperate. shrieking, he raised and
linked his tormented arms about 1t
and, strong with his furious agony,
swung himself up out Of the wild hur-
tie Of teeth and flying fur.
A score of disappointed raveners
leaped at their escaping quarry and
scored and stripped the skin from him
with straining teeth. Still shrieking,
he dragged himself forward and
crawled horribly toward the trunk.
The dark blood fell In gouts upon the
snow, and the painting brutes below
licked and shifted at 1t with quarrel
;ings.
Above their torn victim climbed and
moved among the pine needles to o
higher shelter. AS the friendly bougt 8
closed about him, wrapping him In
their warm, welcome shelter, yelling
him from the yelling horde below,
some tension snapped within him like
the sudden parting of fiddle string.
A cry, gasping inhuman, kin to the
scream of the speared otter, rang out
above the wild clamor Of the pack.
Lirnply he fell forward into the thick
nesses of the knitted twigs and lay
motionless. His body hung derelict
like the wind drift of a storm.
Beneath the living corpse the wolves
swung round to seek FOR quicker meat.
Back from the ruddy, trampled patch
Of snow they charged, filled with the
fury that has tasted blood, in thick, re-
sistless column that stald not for knife
or gun.
Three shots rang out, and, with
howls of n thousand men, they smotc
upon their prey. For 80 frightful Sec
onds four swaying tangles of -rending
teeth and claws fought and churned
the snow, while out Of them burst
oaths, shrleks and the squirting blood
of men. Then came quiet but for the
snarls of jealous raiders and the
crunch Of human bones.
One by one the glutted scavengers
sought their lars. The white light Of
the rising moon showed only scarlet
tramplings and shreds of gray uniform
where three rides had fallen abroad.
Among the pine needles an inert body
still lay without sign of life, like some
high tossed jetsam of the forest.
CHAPTER L.