The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1906-07-18

YAK our ranCn on Black hOch
M Creek lives Lame Charlie, who
i Y is "wolfer." That is, he finds
employment in assisting stock
men of North Wyoming to rid this re-
gion of destructive and increasing
pests. He was for fifty years free
trapper," and is now little wizened
man of seventy. More than twenty
years ago a vengeful Ute lodged an ar
row point urder one of his knee caps,
and hence the old man goes with a
lame leg.
He very reluctantly narrates his own
adventures, although he has passed
through dangers without number. Only
few accounts of his narrow escapes
have been drawn from him.
One narrative is of "tole wolf,"
which led him into difficulties among
hostile Asslnlboins. A "tole" in Lame
Charles category of mysteries is sim
ply some natural bird or beast played
upon by superhuman powers or by the
magic of medicine men.
One winter back in the fifties he
lived near Black Kettles village of Cut
Head Sioux on the north shore of Min
nj Wakan Lake. He was reused one
evening by the fierce bowling of wolf
within a few rods of his cabin door.
He went outside with his gun, and i'm
mediately saw wolf, as he believed
a big black one-sitting upon snow
Gift. Lame Charlie fired, and the
creature yelped and ran. The trapper
was filed with excitement.
The black wolf IS not often killed or
even seen. Only the year before Nc
Kenzie, at Fort Union, had paid Au-
gust Lariviere 500 for a single skin,
and had offered $3.50 for a mate to it.
One hundred and fifty dollars! Lame
Charlie swiftly donned his cowskin
coat, his Cut Head overshoes and rack
cts and gave chase.
There was more than a foot of new
which had fallen the rime and frost of
several still, cold days. Lame Charlie
had once run down a silver gray fox
upon just that kind of snow. He be-
lieved that he had hit the wolf and
could soon overtake it. The tracks
were easily followed; the animal was
running at shutting lopC.
Although he could find no blood
spots upon the snow the trapper was
In nowise discouraged. He had more
than once shot gray wolf or deer
through ham or flank, and had had to
hunt diligently for his bullet hole when
the game was finally secured.
The night was very cold, but the air
was still and bracing, and Lame Char
lie enjoyed his chase. After an hour
of stiff running he was rewarded with
q sight Of the beast loping a hundred
yards or so in front of him. He now
felt sure of TIE black VOLTS pelt.
He fired random shot, and the crea-
ture did not increase its lead percepti-
bly,. On they sped, hunter and hunted.
Another hour passed, and still the fit
ting, bobbing black speck kept its dis
tance close 20 the edge of indefinite
things. The trapper took up a hole
In his belt.
On they fed, man and beast, over
billy strips of land, across broad
stretches of prairie, the hunter as tire,
less as his quarry. Three times the
trapper tightened his belt. each time
sure that another determined squirt
would bring him within shooting
range. If the animal were not hurt,
he reasoned, it would long since have
left him far behind.
At last the beast led him down into
q deep, bushy creek known as Bad
Coulee. Then Lame Charlie knew that
his chase had stretched across twenty
miles of crust. Still the hunter was
not discouraged. He shuffled on over
the rough ground, now and then jerk
ing his rife to his face, only to see the
wolf disappear over the creek bank oil
behind a clump Of willows. Several
deer were startled from their beds
and clattered away upon the snow
crust.
The animal he was chasing took tc
the high land, ran across promontory
and plunged again down a steep grade
into the coulee. After it went the
trapper. Squatting upon his rackets
with whoop of victory, he shot dowI
the long, steep slope as swiftly as thu
duck flies. He would quickly hav,
overtaken his quarry, too but the Gun
ming brute suddenly SHE'D and fed a
right angles along the steep.
Turning to fire a shot as he passet
Lame Charlie tripped, his gun explod
ed in mid air, and he tumbled, rollet
and slid to the foot of the bluff.
He landed in a thick cluster Of will
lows upon the creek bank. and whei
he had extricated his rackets and tum
bled out of the thicket it was to fint
himself facing row Of Indian teepee
upon a sheltered fiat. Dogs begaI
barking, and Immediately inmates o
the lodges, reused by his rifle shot
began to appear upon the creek banl
opposite.
TIE moon had risen, and standing
upon the ice within a few rods o