Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1904-12-22


This did not quite agree with the
tales he had previously been telling.
| went for my sword, and buckled it's
belt about me, the scabbard hanging
to my heels. Presently some creature
came bounding over the brush | saw
him break through the wall of dark
ness and stop quickly in the freight
Then D'ri brought him down with his
rifle.
Started him up back there n the
woods few mild" said D'ri. "He was
mekin' fer this ere pond-thet's what
he was dewin."
What for?" | inquired.
"'Cause fer the reason why he
knowed he would MT mex no tracks n
the water, ner no scent" said D'ri
with some show of contempt for my
ignorance.
The deer lay fioundering in the briers
some so feet away. My father ran with
his knife and put him quickly out of
misery. Then we hauled the carcass
to clear ground.
LET it lie where t Is fer now," said
he, as We came back to the fire. Then
he got our two big traps out of the
cart and set them beside the carcass
and covered them with leaves. The
bowling of the wolves had ceased.
could hear only the creaking of dead
limb high above us, and the below of
frogs in the near pond. We had fas-
tened the trap chains and were COM
ing back to the fire, when the dog rose,
barking fiercely; then We heard the
crack of D'ris rife.
More n 80 wolves eroun' here" he
whispered as we ran up to him.
Never see sech a snag on EN-"
The sheep were stirring nervously.
Near the pen wolf lay kicking where
D'ri had dropped him.
"Rest on 'em snooked off when the
gun hollered," he went on, whispering
as before.
My mother and grandmother sat
with my sisters in the cart, hushing
their murmurs of fear. Early in the
evening l had tied Rover to the cart
wheel, where he was growing hotly,
impatient of the leash.
"See?" said D'ri, pointing with his
finger. "See 'em?-there n the dark
by thet air big hemlock."
We could make out a dim stir in the
shadows where he pointed. Presently
we heard the spring and rattle of a
trap. AS We turned that way, the
other trap took hold hard; as it sprang
we could hear wolf yelp.
"Meks 'em holler," said D'ri, "thet
OF hetrap does, when it teks holt. Stay
here by the sheep, n I'll go over n
give 'em somethin' fer spraint ankles" !"
Other wolves were swarming over
the dead deer, and the two in the traps
were snarling and swapping at them
My father and D'ri fired at the bunch
killing one of the captives and another
the largest wolf | ever saw. The
pack had skunk away as they heard the
rifles. Our remaining captive strug-
gled to get free, but in a moment D'ri
had Drained him with an AK. He and
my father reset our traps and hauled
the dead wolves into the freight
There they began to skin them for the
bounty was $40 for each in the new
towns-a sum that made our adventure
profitable. l built fires on the farther
side of the sheep, and, as they bright
ened, could see, here and there, the
cleaning eyes of a wolf in the dark
ness. | was up all night heaping wood
upon the fires, while D'ri and my
father skinned the wolves and dressed
the deer. They had just finished when
the cock crew.
"Holler, ye gol-dum little cuss!"
D'ri shouted as he went over to him.
Cant no snookin' wolf crack our
Zones fer us. Peeled 'em-thet's what
We done tew 'em! Tux n knocked 'em
head over heels. Judas Priest! He
can peck mans finger some, can't
| he?"
The light was coming and he went
Off to the spring for water, while
brought the spider and pots. The
great, green-roofed temple of the
woods, that had so lately rung with the
howl of wolves, began to fill with far
wandering echoes of sweet song.
"They was a big cat over there by
the spring las night" said D'ri, as
we all sat down to breakfast. Tracks
bigger n a griddle! Smelt the NUT
ton, mos likely"
Like mutton?" inquired.
"Yis-sir-ee, they dew" said he.
Kind O mince-pie fer 'em. Like deer
meat, tew. Shook eroun' the ponds
after dark. Eff they see a deer n the
water they wallop i'm quicker n
lightnin'; jump right in k'slap n TEX
| i'm"
We were off at sunrise, on a road
that grew rCugher every mile. At noon
We came to a river SO swollen as to
make a dangerous ford. After dinner
my father waded in, going hips under
where the water was deep and swift.
| Then he cut long pole and took my
mother on his shoulders and entered
the broad stream, steadying hims elf
with the pole. When she had got
down safe on the other side, he came