The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-08-16
4 BRAVE YOUNG
 WESTERN HUNTER
How He Brings Home Two
 Deer In a Blizzard
HE IS A SCIENTIST
Member of Harlan I. Smith Archaeo. logical Accommodating Party in the Neighborhood of Raw
 hide Mountains at 14.
From the St. Nicholas Magazine.

From the St. Nicholas Magazine.
 When John Wesley Wolfe was scarcely 10 years of age he was a good shot with his fathers Winchester although 1t was too big for him to put up to his shoulder in the proper manner. He learned to shoot after fashion of his own, and could knock the head from a deadly rat tlesnake at 15 or p paces five times out of six, and he easily acquired skill in "roping' and "cow punching"
 He had grown up on the eastern Wyo- ming plains in sight of the picturesque Rawhide mountains. He had no brothers nor sisters nor neishborhood children with whom to play, and it Is not surpris- ing that at a very early age he accom- panied his father on some of his trips over the range
 Although rattlesnakes and coyotes, gray wolves and wildcats are pretty good game for boy of 12 or 13 years, this one had never been allowed to accompany the hunters of the ranch on their quest for the annual supply of winter meat into ever, when John had reached the age of 13 years the opportunity came.
 
 The storms of an unusually early win ter had sent the range cattle belonging to his father 50 miles southeast of the ranch, drifting along in front of the cut ting northwest wind, and this before the winters supply of beef had been safely housed in the log icehouse When this predicament faced the family, some of the cowboy hunters decided to inaugl1- rate hunt and obtain the full quota of the usual supply from the foothills, where a large herd of black-tailed deer had been seen a few days before This was agreed to and John was allowed by his parents to accompany the hunters.
 It is pretty we'll established that the boy didn't sleep much the night before the hunt. Before daybreak the hunters were in the saddle, the boy being the first one to get ready. His rifle was slung in a holster at his pany's side and his belt. loaded with shells, was buckled about his waist. Day had not broken when they left the ranch, and they had been out but few hours when a fearful blizzard set in. During the storm the hunters were separated and the boy soon found that he was entirely alone. He was not troubled on that account how ever. and he resolved to go to a place where he had often seen deer grazing The snow had drifted badly all day, and
 
 tie uneasy lest, in the fearful storm John might become separated from the others and lose himself in the great plains where every hill looks just like its neighbor and where trails are unknown.
 The sun finally burst through the clouds but the boy did not return Of the four cowboys who had started out, all returned by twilight and reported they had not seen the lad for hours. AL though cold and benumbed by their bat tie with the storm the hunters did not i remove their saddles, intending to start out to look for John. Finally, just as a searching party was starting, telephone message from a neighboring ranch an- nounced that the boy had just passed there on foot leading his pony, upon which were roped the carcasses of two deer.
 There was joy at Nine-Bar when the message was made known, and when the lad came in view it was let loose in such a welcome as anxious parents and cow boys only know how to give Sure enough, there were two deer roped to the saddle of the little fellows pony, and then all crowded around as he related the story of the days adventures.
 John said he had gone to canyon, after he realized that he was alone, about 
 there after the storm broke. where he re- mained under a protecting ledge of rocks awaiting clearer skies He had found and followed deer tracks in the snow and had finally come upon a herd of a score of fully grown black-tailed deer. He had succeeded in getting within 150 yards of the herd without being seen Just as he was about to fire the leader of the herd saw him and the deer were off with tho wind. As quickly as possible he aimed and fired and succeeded in securing two. The boy said he found that the deer were too heavy for him to lift to the pony's back and he was at a loss for q moment as to what he should do. If he left them and went to the ranch for help 1t would give the big gray wolves a feast Finally he said he thought of a hunters trick He took his rope from the horn of his saddle and fastening one end to the saddle horn he fastened the other to one of the deer and dragged it over the snow to 0 pine tree near by. He then threw one end of the rope over a limb and started the pony so that the rope wound about the tree and the deer was lifted higher than the back of the horse He then lowered it to the pony g back and fastened it securely The same method was followed with the second an- imal.
 When, after two hours hard work, the two deer were securly fastened with his lariat, there was no place on the horse for him, and there was no alternative but for him to walk to the ranch and lead his horse. The distance to the ranch was ten miles and most of the trail was ob- liberated by snow. but John was the son of plainsman, born on the great cen tral plains, and reared under just such conditions as now confronted him.
 So leading his pony, he began the long march home. A score of times he was neck-deep in snowdrifts, through which he managed to founder finally reaching home and receiving a royal welcome. The hardship of ten-mile tramp un- der the conditions which the lad was in the thermometer lowering about the to hesitate before they made the attempt. But John Wesley Wolfe made nothing of his trip, and 1t was with difficulty the author could get him to relate it.
 The summer of 1907 found John Wesley Wolfe a member of the Harlan I. Smith archaeological accommodating party in the neighborhood of the Rawhide noun tains. MT. Smith Is a well-known scien- tist connected with the American Mu- scum of Natural History. New York city. In the course of this trip the boy. then 14 years of age, made some important discoveries, and his name figures in the official report of the expedition.
 
 How 1t Happened.
 From Harpers Weekly.
 "So you've been fighting again, Dick?' .1.&~ ofla q orlra