The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1900-06-28

Wolf. who was on that block with me
and then we backed away from side
TO side, as if we were dancing "A
quadrille. | saw the waterworks few
times, then | didn't. Then it began
to get dark. Then Mr.. Wolf COM
menced to sing his swan song and |
wanted to go home right Off
"Iou see, they have gray wolves out
there. Now, 1t happened that mem
Der of this tribe usually afraid of
man-had marched out on the ice to
take Il quiet drink. He was busy lap
ping up the blue water. Oh, yes, it's
blue in winter if il does look like pea
soup in summer-when l split out our
raft l say ours, for the wolf held his
end of the game to the showdown
when it was a draw. Then he could
have had the premises without fight
from me.
1--WE backed and filled there until
the moon came up. ] had been too
busy to think of the possibility of any
animal being there. when the wolf,
sitting where it was thick enough to
stand his yowl, lifted his beak to the
which reminded me of the whistle of
a tug in distress. | was shocked and
turned about to see what this all
meant. There was Mr.. Wolf sitting
on his launches and singing a dolorous
measure. Then | remembered that
the farmers in that region loved not
the wolf, so | wished him to cease from
murmuring. They might turn loose
few Gatlings on us and the wolf
would have none the best of it. |
heaved few loose blocks of ice at him
and he quit bowling and growles,
crouching as If to spring.
Here's a funny thing. That chunk
of ice was some 80 feet wide and as
many broad when we started naviga-
ton. Then rs we butted into piece
of shoal water or another berg a big
chunk would come away and the raft
commenced to grow beautifully less.
This made it interesting. You know
the American wolf is a coward when he
has a few thousands of miles to race
over, but in close quarters he will fight.
I knew it, at any rate, for when L
tossed chunks at him he quit warbling,
showed his teeth and crouched for
spring.
81 saw by the time we had been out
there half dozen hours that the raft
was too small for both of us. wanted
all the room myself and decided the
wolf would have to 60. l am not much
of a swimmer myself and it was cold,
so / tried to shoe off that wolf. He
wouldn't shoe worth cent. We were
out in the middle of the river by this
and making good progress toward Kan
sas City. Chunk after chunk was
whirling from our raft and it soon be-
came matter of crouching on opposite
sides of hummocb in the middle. The
wolf crouched in closer and closer
and whined like a dog. But he showed
fight when / bothered him.
The moon came up and silvered our
raft. 1t also showed where the dark
sullen and furious water ragged. 1t was
thoughtful time. l had missed din
ner by dozen miles, was out on the
bosom of the Missouri with one lone
wolf of uncertain parentage and un-
discovered habits. had no cartridges
with which to shoot him and he re-
sented any familiarity. l remember
that, having used threats, l resorted
to the CON game, but that wolf was
wise boy: he paid no heed to my
efforts TO make friends. He howled
when not molested, as he evidently
had no purpose of swimming for it.
Neither had |, but as our limits mar
rowed with every swirl of tide that
does nothing else ii soon became a
question of vino would win at this kind
of postponed game.
Away to the south, high in the
heavens. l could see line of lights
declining visibly l took them for
stars, but hter concluded they were
the lights on Bluff street. Would we
sweep by the big city or would we hit
a sandbar, plenty OF which lurked near
by? 1t was a question. | made up my
mind | must get rid of that wolf, so
l sneaked around the kopje and hoist
ed my shotgan to smite him. Then
commenced the most lurid scrap l ever
mixed with.
Il swung with the gun; he ducked
and clawed me in the ribs. ! rushed
he side-stepped and swung for my
jaw, but | went under. Then we
SPARED around that ice hill. He kept
il between me and harm until all al
once with yowl he charged. He smote
me lin the side and one leg went into
so feet of water, but ] was up before he
could count ten. Then / closed in
I had 10, for broke off another chunk
with that rush-and handed him an
awful punch. l thought he was out
but he came up before the count anC
ducked as | went for him.
"One must &c out this time or il was
IA draw, for but eight feet of space was
left. ] didn't measure it excepting
with my eyes, but I'll swear to it.
led the left-l'd lost the gun-and ht
blocked, countering with his right.
went under and caught him an awfu
uppercut under the chin with my right
He liked it; absolutely liked it, for il
never bothered him. He crouched low
and led right and left swift as light
| ming. | gave ground and backed cleal