Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1901-11-16
themselves on the blood of the slain

ing the chase.
Hal had succeeded in getting their
attention transferred from the mare and
colt, but he now saw it would be nee
essary for him to give them another
check, so his pony could get good
start of the wolf-dogs down the can
yon.
Two more charges of his Winchester
brought down another Of the angry
band. Instantly such wild uproar
broke loose among them that Flash
took fright and went dashing madly
up the canyon in an opposite direction
from the ranch. The wild dogs de-
scended into the canyon and came in
swift pursuit.
Hal did not curb the sped of his
pony He merely drew lightly now
and then on the rein to guide the ami
mails steps as carefully as possible up
the rocky bed of the canyon. An oc-
casional glance over his shoulder con-
WINGED him that the pursuing brutes
were gaining.
Just before the canyon narrowed into
deep pass high mountain doomed
At the opposite end of the mountain
the pass terminated in a chasm Of
more than fifty feet.
1t would be terrible leap, and Halls
face pa1ed with apprehension as Flash,
with every second bound, carried him
nearer and nearer to the chasm.
Death to both seemed certain, but
there was no way known to the young
man to avoid the precipice, only to
halt and run the fearful risk of being
torn to pieces by the enraged animals
on his track.
This was the less agreeable fate of
the two to contemplate. He resolved
however, to check once more the adj
vance of the wolf dogs. Just before
entering the pass he turned in his sad
die and gave two shots in rapid ste
cession at the gang in close pursuit
With howl of pain the foremost
dog fell dead on the trail, and the
others paused again, uttering hideous
cries and licking tip the blood of their
freshly fallen companion.
Newly alarmed, Flash 1eaped toward
the steep slope of the mountain. The
Winchester caught in the scraggy
branches of juniper, and in frantically
trying to wrench it loose the rider was
jerked violently to the ground. Flash,
too highly terrified to remember his
good training, rapidly scaled the height
before him by hidden trail unknown
to Hal, and disappeared in the trees
above.
Before Hal could secure his Winches-
ter the energetic vibrations of the jun
iper branch flung it into the canyon
bed nearly seventy feet below.
The wild dogs gave him no time to
recover it, for, having licked UP the last
drop of blood. oozing from the car
cass, they came rushing with an &C
celeration OF savage fury. Escape now
looked utterly impossible to Hal, but
he sprang up the dizzy slope with a
desperate effort to evade them.
At first he ran aimlesSly. Then his
eyes fell on bushy juniper that leaned
against a jutting ledge of the towering
mountain. By exerting every muscle
and nerve he was able to gain the foot
of the tree and climb into its lowest
branches just as the savage dogs
sprang up the slope after him. They
made frantic lunges upward trying to
brush him from the juniper. The
branch was decaying and Hal could
| hear it, cracking under his weight
Suddenly it gave way and went down
with crashing force upon the heads of
the dogs.
AS the branch broke under him Hal
grasped a stronger limb just above his
head and pulled himself higher up the
tree. The juniper was old and hall
uprooted and the weight of the young
man made it snap and sway fearful1y.
Hal realized that the tree could not
endure the strain, and he looked around
him trying vainly to discover some
means of escape. There was absolutely
none. When the tree went he would
be hurled down the almost perpendlcu-
lar slope into the rocky pass below.
The wild dogs seemed to understand
his hopeless situation, and braced
themselves on the rocks below the tree
to witness his doom.
| L mere was QutNCI dlI Ill OuS1 IliS
decaying juniper then sudden crack
ing in all its parts, and Hal felt himself
going. The dogs renewed their hideouS
barking, sprang back out of the dan
ger, and waited. In that moment OF
peril Hal did not lose his courage. He
resolved to meet death bravely. AS
the tree toppled over, the branch to
which Hal chung brushed against and
rested for a second on point of the
projecting ledge. 1t was just long
enough, however, to enable him to
scramble from the branch to place
on the narrow shelf of rocks. Then the
tree went crashing downward into the
pass, distance of more than two hun
bred feet.
The baffed dogs sprang high into
the air in a vain effort to fling them
selves upon the ledge where Hal was.
They struck against the rocks, then fell
back with a thud, emitting howls Of
disappointment. Halls foot dislodged