The Anaconda standard., 1899-12-10

| face the inevitable and penetrate into
the latter at once. As a last means OF
Keeping the beasts off ne gathered to-
gether some 0rushwood, scattered on
the cavern floor, and with trembling
fingers set 1t on fire. And when the
herce horde turned the mountain spur
and surEed into the ravine with harsh
c0ncatenatiOn of yelpS and yeils. the
flames, flaling up, brought it to a halt
outside the cave, where it's members
scrambled one over another and fought
together in baffled fury. There were
hundred wolves or more in the band
-tfree-score gray beasts, a number of
white ones and a fine following of
shifting. sneaking cayctGs-and x:
We're iank ana Shaggy and Tavenous
| with hunger.
The fire rapidly ate the faeots, and
| the pile promised to go hence quickly.
| Wherefore. there being nothing else to
do, Wilhelm took a torch from the fire
and hurried into the cavern. He found
| 1t an irregular passage that dwindled
| in size as he advanced. Little by little
| it grew smaller and smaller, until he
was forced to get down on his knees
and crawl. When it had come to this
pass with him, he dropped his torch.
and it went out and left him. in the
blacklist darkness. Then he gave him
self over for lost, and commended him
self to the good God.
Nevertheless, he stubhornly continued
to crawl on in the gloom. and when he
had despairingly traversed some so feet
the cavern unexpectedly expanded and
he rose to his feet.
Some time had passed and, though
Wilhelm did not know it, the fire had
burned out and the wolves had entered
the cave. He was feeling for the roof
and walls of the opening when he heard
the pattering of swift feet in the dark
and the sharp cry of a wolf suddenly
split the air a few yards behind him.
The cry so startled him that he leaped
straight forward in the gloom.
AT this point the cavern pitched
sharply downward. forming a steep in
clined way whose floor was smooth as
glass. Therefore, when Wilhelm light
ed on his feet, they slipped from undar
him and he shot down the passage like
a flash. He slid for Is or 20 yards, and
then a rock projecting from the wall CT
the passage caught in his clothes and
stopped him with a jerk that nearly
broke his neck. The wolves had fol
lowed blindly on his heels and he had
hardly collected his senses when a wolf
whisked by and went down the slide
yelling like a lost soul. In terror lest
the next should take him with it he felt
the face of the wall for something to
cling to, found a shelf of rock over his
head and climbed upon this, losing no
time
Yelping and yelling, wolf after wolf
tdHle SHOOTING GOWN lne passage, anu
Wilhelm, looking whittier they were
sliding, discovered with surprise that
the cavern below him was full of dim
light. And when he had become ac-
customed to the light he saw that the
floor of the passage broke off suddenly
in large pit, into which the wolves
We're hurled. The cavern passed through
a narrow mountain ridge and Wilhelm
and the wolves had come to it's other
end. There was an opening over the
pit, through which the light trickled,
and a narrow passage leading from it.
The procession OF sliding wolves and
coyotes was an astounding spectacle
to Wilhelm. 1t was so steady and un-
broken it was manifest that those in
front We're pushed on by those behind
when they came to the head of the in
cline and none had time to look before
he leapt, but was launched willy nilly
upon the amazing slide. The beasts
whipped by Wilhelm's perch in gro
tesque poStures-some on their backs,
some on their breasts and some ON
their launches, with faces full of fury
and chagrin.
When dozen or so had gone down
the slope a hideous bowling broke out.
and Wilhelm beheld two bears rear up
from the shadows of the pit. The bears
were grizzlies. and in a trice battle had
broken out between them and the
wolves. Their helpless slide made the
wolves mad with rage and when they
landed in the pit they hurled themselves
upon the bears ferociously. In an in
slant the pit was an inferno of savage
snarls and yells and yelps of pain and
the theater of deadly conflict. The
grizzlies We're of huge stature. stand
ing "dree feet higher dan a man." to
use Wilhelm's language, and they
ripped the wolves open with their great
claws and crushed them with ponder
a wolves
turn, fiercely bit and tore the legs and
tlanks and throats of their mighty adj
VerSarieS.
Wilhelm sat upon his perch and
the terrific turmoil with dis
tended eyes. OF the fight he said later:
Der look upon der wolves faces ven
iey came sliding der cave down, NIT
all preaks off und nobody gan help
demselves. vas durrible. Der wolves vas
20 madt dey vas cryin' almost, und
der fight NIT der pears der like L haf
nefer readt off. Ten tousand devils not
20 mooCh noise make. Und dere vas
A Great slaughter, | dell you. Der wolves
fought-how dey fought! But der pears
vas too pig. Dey stood on dair hind
egs oop, und Won plow sufficient vas to
lisembowel der wolves, und in dair arms
Ter wolves pones to powder vas be
;queeZin'.
When the floor was Uttered with dead
wolves and the survivors We're begin
hing to sicken of the slaughter and run
whining about the pit, the exit from
which was blocked by one of the bears.
he light suddenly faded and left the
'aVern in semi-darkness. The entire wolf
Jack had come down the passage and
here was nothing to fear from above;
o by dint of climbing and crawling
Ilcng his shelf. Wilhelm made his way
o the top of the slide and out of the
cavern. With thankfulness in his heart
md his thoughts once more on his we'd
ling, he resumed his way to Stone
mountain on foot While he was trudg
ng along he was met by party of
riends. headed by Brewer Mulheis,
Who had come out to search for him;
md when he had told his story the
brewer fell on his neck and embraced
lin and called him crosse warrior.
The party reached Stone Mountain
little after dusk and Christmas eve was