The Cooperstown courier. (Cooperstown, Griggs Co., N.D.) 1902-1913, 1903-05-07

besieged by part OF the pack, and
called out reassuringly to him.
Although neither could see the
other, they were able by shouting to
converse intelligibly.
Nipsu, it seemed, had successfully
performed his errand, and. he was
bound homeward in high spirits
when he had discovered the wolves
closing in behind him. He had taken
refuge in tree near the trail, and
had retained his load of provisions,
as well as his musket, but he had
lost his snow-shoes, of which the
wolves sharp teeth had made short
work.
He stated also that seven of the
brutes were still watching him. He
had killed three, and might have in
creased his score if his supply Of
ammunition had not given out.
Forseeing that Akowma's' pro-
longed absence from the settlement
would cause his friends to organize
a searching party, the boys conf.
IDENTIFY expected rescue not later than
the next day. Fur parhes (hoeded
coats) enabled them to defy cold,
and as for hunger, Nipsu's pack,
thanks to their kinsman's bounty,
contained an abundance of food,
while Akowma had his string Of
ptarmigan and other birds.
They feared only a fall, which
might result should drowsiness over
power them. To prevent accident of
this kind Nipsu had already dashed
llimselfsto his perch by means,sof his
belt and piece of the pack7strap,
and he advised his brother to do like
wise.
With arms outstretched, Akowma
could almost touch with his finger
tips the face of the precipice beside
him. What if the wolves, of whose
cunning he had heard much, should
take. it into their heads to proceed
to the top of the hill, and by leaping
down into the spruce come to close
quarters with him? It was true
that. long detour through the
woods would first be necessary, but,
desperate with hunger as they were,
he believed that neither the detour
nor the fear of falling with their
victim would restrain them.
Clinging by its roots to the frozen
soil on the brink of the rocky wall,
white birch dropped until it's bushy
branches mingled with the spruce
boughs few feet above his head.
AS, in sudden dismay, he glanced. up
through the falling snow-aakes, the
sight of it's gnarled and twisted
trunk suggested to him that if he
could but elude the vigilance of his
besiegers, it would be possible for
him to make his way over the birch
to the verge of the rock.
Then he could hurry back to the
settlement, arouse the hunters, and
return with them to relieve Nipsu.
Realizing that delay increased the
likelihood of an attack from above,
he straightway prepared to carry
out this plan.
Darkness and the falling snow
were in his favor, but he wished be-
sides to devise means of distracting
the. wolves attention. He rejected
the idea of scattering his birds
among them; these would be snapped
up too quickly. But more promis-
ing scheme soon occurred to him.
Descending the tree, he suspended
three of the ptarmigan from
branches where they dangled tempt
ingly just beyond reach of the gaunt
beasts.
Then, taking with him his snow
shoes, he reascended to where the
dropping birch rubbed against the
the spruce. ..,.5
Stripping off his parkie, he stuffed
it almost to bursting with spruce
twigs, amid which he distributed the
remaining birds, after which he: tied
thongs tightly about the waist,
wrists and hood of the garment.
This done, he called out to his
brother, telling him briefly Of his
purpose. Nipsu volunteered, by
shouting and feigning an intention
of jumping down, to prevent those
of the pack which were guarding
him from noticing what was going
Husnlns the DulKy Parcel OuCWaFQ
and clear of intervening boughs,
Akowma dropped it into the snow
at the foot of the tree, fifty feet
below, on the side away from the
rock. The wolves, no doubt mistak-
it for the lad himself, pounced upon
it, rending it. with teeth and claws.
and fighting with one another over
it's contents.
Now was Alkowma's time. Without
stopping to deplore the ruin of his
parkie, he swung himself into the
birch. The cla1nor of the quarreling
brutes below drowned the swapping
of twigs, brittle with cold, that
accompanied his hasty passage along
| the bending tree.
Kneeling on the brink ofsthe preci-
pice, he listened anxiously while
putting on his snow-shoes, but there
was no abatement in the noise Of
conflict. His fight had not yet been
perceived.
The soft, new-fallen snow muffled
the sound of his snow-shoes as he
sped on through the trackless birch
/ forock rovov;nr tho Hill Nc loir1 1,ic