Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1905-03-11

start one gaunt wolf was poking his
nose very close to him. Ee started to
lis feet, and the movement caused the
line of waiting wolves to draw back a
little, snarling viciously as they went.
The dogs heard those snarls, and they
added their walls of terror to the gen
eral din.
AS quickly as he could Mahoney
threw on more wood, and as the flames
once more rose and cracked on the
still, frosty air the wolves skunk away
until they were hidden by the shadows
of the fir trees, and the wicked gleam-
ing Of their eyes alone told that they
were keeping up their watch.
There is an end to all things, how
ever, and after what seemed to be the
passing of an eternity the morning sun
scattered the shadows with her shafts
Of light and the wolves skunk away
and werc silent and Mahoney once
more stepped out upon the trail
All that day he pursued his way over
mountains, through timber, across riv-
ers and over plains, and not once did
he see sign or hear sound from the
pack that he knew too well were 81
lently following his footsteps No
sooner had the sun begun to dip to-
ward the western horizon than he
again heard the wall of the wolf, and
again he spoke to the leader Of his dog
team. and again the trail was left and
Mahoney struck for the sheltering shad-
Ows of the wood.
If he were tired the night before, he
was desperate now. He realized that
the hunger of the wolves would over
come. their fear before many hours.
and once that happened it would be
all day with him as well as with the
body that had been intrusted to his
care. After he had fed himself and
his dogs he arranged the corpse as he
had the night before. This time, how
ever, he placed the coffin against the
trunk Of tree and leaned his back
against it as he settled himself for
another sleepless watch.
His main fight that night was against
sleep. Awake, and he would resume
the journey in the morning. Asleep.
and the ''inis'' in his history would be
written there He knew that, and as
a consequence he gathered quantity
Of pine knots, and, lighting one, he tied
it to his right hand. AS he dozed off
the flames, creeping closer, would burn
him and naturally cause him to be
wide awake. He would then get up,
throw more wood upon the fire and re-
turn to the coffin. He kept that up all
night long, and the wrist Of his right
hand today bears evidence Of how
faithfully Mahoney kept watch that
night
AS on the day before, the wolves de-
parted upon the coming of the dawn, al
though they followed him as relentless
~ as they had done ever since the trail
was struck, and the third and last night
that Mahoney went without sleep and
almost without food will be kept green
in his memory as long as he lives.
AS usual, Mahoney left the trail some
little time before shutdown, made his
camp and gathered large quantity Of
wood He knew that if he could wealth
er the night his fight against sleep and
beast would be ended, for the next day
would find him at road house, and
from then on it would be easy sailing.
Everything went well with him until
the hour hands of his watch pointed to
3 O'Clock. From then on until morning
Mahoney was constantly on the alert
feeding his fire and battling for his life.
The wolves, their hunger increasing,