The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1913-01-10
WOLVES IN RUSSIA
Daring Brutes That Attack 1raV-
eIers on the Steppes.
EXCITING BATTLE AT NIGHT.

p.,,,ou. PLIGHT Of a Sleigh Party Iha'
w.. Surrounded and Set Upon by
Pack Of the Ferocious and ram''ne'
Animal,-A Timely Rescue.
There are still wolves on the steppes
Of Russia and pretty ferocious ones al
that, as appears from this story sen'
r. - Swedish paper by one of Its CORE
spondents. who was travelling WI
tor or two ago through the wastes u
what was formerly known as Lltn"'
| ania. 80 sor
II was a bright. frosty winter Gay.
Tho snow was excellent, and the mai
sleigh glided forward at great speeu
A troika with three Poles In 1t follow
ed behind. Toward sunset we emery,
ed from the dark pine woods upon tle
stenpe. which stretched away IN 1roh'
of MS as far as the eye could reach.
soon the stars made their appear
ance, and the moon rose. 1t was pi''
terly cold, and the snow cracked We
naath the runners The horses preath
rose in the air like thick smoke. me
songs and shouts of the Poles u'cu
away. and profound silence reigned.
Suddenly one of the horses whinnleu'
+ben another. and third SHE'D vio
lentIv. uttering that terrible cry OF
| which the horse is capable only wheh
IN extreme fear, l could see by tne
light OF the moon the shadow OF. an
/ animal about the size OF dog nit.ins
/ over the frozen surface OF marsh
nool which lay some twenty PAGES
from us on one side Of the road.
NJ animal can travel more silently
than a wolf when IN search OF prey,
and none can attack so suddenly anu
unexpectedy. was slowly raising
NV yun when a second wolf rose I'M
mediately in front Of the horses WIN
crest erect and green, phosphoresceht
evcs At tile same time points OF
ucht appeared all over the mere, ana
the bowling of the beasts rang out
shot was fred Revolver in hand
I,escek. one of the Poles, stood on the
driving seat of the troika. Then from
the mail sleigh ! discharged pota
barrels of my gun. and savage now
announced that they had taken effect
Two of the most during Of our assali-
ants lay rolling in the snow.
The three Poles kept firing furlously'
although the attack Of the wolves was
directed more against our sleigh, prop
} ablv because 1t was drawn by double
the number of horses. Our driver hau
no other weapon than his loaded whlp'
, but with it he dealt tremendous blows.
, The horses struggled madly and tired
] with all their strength to break the
] harness. At each shot from my gun
. the wolves scattered, only to collect
| apoin Immediately and renew their at
3 tack on the horses. Suddenly there
arose a wild yell behind us.
The three Poles were rolling In the
snow by the side Of their overturned
) sleigh. Lescek's badly driven horses
: had torn themselves loose from the
t troika in their terror, and were career
: ing wildly over the snow covered
: steppe, pursued by some Of the wolves.
] They were soon pulled down. and In
> the stiffness Of the night their death
: screams were terrible. The Poles wal
+ lowed about in the snow shouting
' weeping and lamenting by turns.
J Their situation was, indeed, SUM-
: GENTLY serious, for only Lescek had
+ had enough presence Of mind to hide
{ himself beneath the sleigh, and the
mail driver and l, surrounded by
, wolves, could give them no help.
, looked upon them as doomed and fell
9 sure that we should quickly Share Their
fate.
Suddenly our pursuers disappeared
and although bleeding badly, the
0 horses became calmer. The cleaning
eyes of the wolves were seen only here
: and there out on the steppe. A shot
l. rang out, then a volley, succeeded by
: yells Of pain. A dozen dead wolves
lay Oh the ground, and two huge beasts
actually expired beneath the hoofs OF
the horses as our rescuers came up II
! their tinkling sleighs
1t was landed proprietor with his
servants whose solitary farm lay only
couple of versts away None OF
: us was dangerously wounded. The
wolves had treated the Poles worst
for their clothes were nearly torn from
their bodies, They were bitten, too
but not seriously.
The following morning our host, Herr
J. stanskl, came across the skeletons OF
: the three troika horses scarcely hall
: a verst from the scene of our strug'
l. gle. The poor creatures were still
!, bound together with the harness. What
our own fate would have been were II
not for our timely rescue, is not hard
to imagine. The thought Of It makes
me shudder to this day.