Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1899-08-17

from countless lairs among the bowl
dcrs and bushes that fringcd the crag
foot. a thousand fangs were barred up
on them-yellow, snarling, whetted for
| slaughter, lusting for blood.
The soldiers backed upon the rocks
and with rides ut the ready peered out
into the night. Groveling behind them,
thrusting at the sheer wall as IL he
| would seek refuge in its pitiless breast,
moaning, abject. huddled and scarce
human, crouchcd the guide, Strad-
| ding across him, gibbering, calling.
| laughing aloud his gleeless mirtb,
| churning the snow with shoelcss feet,
| beating with bound hands upon the
stones, stood the captive and spurncd
the covering wretch with his tramp
ings.
| a score Of PAGES away the gray
wolves ringed them in and licked their
lean jaws. Thrusting and jostling one
upon another, they gaped upon their
prey ravenously, lashing themselves
by slow degrees to the desperation of
attack.
The sergeant was muttering and
cursiug, lingering with nervous hands
at the lock of his rifle.
He turned and with a kick and fierce
oath queted the winnings of the
| guide. At the same moment his glance
rested on tho prisoner. a peculiar OK
/ preston passed his face. AS one who
acts on sudden impulse, he drew from
! his belt his sheathcd knife and cut saw
agely at the lashngs that bound the
others waists. With the strength of
despair-the despair that poises all on
one last throw-he flung him forward
almost into the jaws of the clamoring.
| fighting throng.
"Run, son Of n dog, rum" he roared.
Curses be thick on you! Make into
| the forest"'
With a yell that rang and slrilled
unearthily above the baying of the
pack the mailman smote fallike 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 bowls as
from the pit the torrent Of wolves
track.
\ short 80 yards he held his adj
vantage. Then with a snap the fangs
Of the leader met in his heshless thigh.
Screaming, he turned and with ma
MAC strength seized in each hand
white toothcd 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 it
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 straning teeth. Still shrieking,
he dragged himself forward and
crawled horribly toward the trunk.
The dark blood fell in gouts upon the
snow. and rhc painting brutes below
licked and shifted at it with quarrel.
ings.
Above their torn victim climbed and
moved among the pine needles to q
higher shelter. AS the friendly boughs
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 fiddlc string
A cry, gasping, inhuman. kin to the
scream of the speared otter, rang out
above the wild clamor of the pack
Imply 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, filed with the
fury that has tasted blood in thick, re-
siStless column that staid not for knife
or gun.
Three shots rang out, and, with
bowls Of thousand men. they smote
upon their prey. For 80 frightful Sec
onds four swaying tangles Of rendins
teeth and claws fought and churned
the snow, while out of them burst
oaths, shrieks 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 lairs. The white light Of
the rising moon showed only scarlet
tramplings and shreds of gray uniform
where three rifles 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 I.
HOSPITAL PATIENT.