The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1917-01-05
W0LvES ATTACK
Dogs ON HUNT.
nj, Said o; a Christmas O'Pos.
~ .n,r Hunt-A Thrilling Expsr-
ience. ri

Tho writer's good friend. J. N.
poberts, that well-known and highly
inSv.ssmed citizen of the Youngs neigh
torbood. this county, was in Grena-
"a on FRIDAY of last week on busi-
uSss uS but while here told of a recent
avnerience of his on an o'possum
s,nt that almost staggers the mind to
hsIieye. If the relater had just come
from the most Sparsely settled re-
c;ons of the Northwest where the
uild boar, the grizzly bear and other
ferocious animals are numerous, such
an incident might have been expected
in the life of those who roam over
the mountains and traverse the val
levs of that section in quest of game,
hut to see what Mr.. Roberts says he
saw and hear what he says he heard
right here in Grenada county carries
the mind back to the days of the In
Sdians or when this country had its
FIRST experience with white people.
Mr.. Roberts states that one night
during the Christmas holidays that
he with two or three other friends,
accompanied by as many negroes
who prided themselves on being
good coon and 'possum hunters"
prepared their pine torches and pro-
vided themselves with lantern and
started out in quest of "'possum
meat" Some of the surest possum
dogs in all that section were carried
along and the party had gone scarce
ly more than a mile into the thickest
part of the Yalobusha river swamp
when the clear tones Of cold dog
blue" began to ring out on the night
air to which were added in few
moments the yelp of "old True" and
BILLY Boy" and these were soon
joined by the balance of the pack, all
of which made music that only
hunter can appreciate. But in few
moments the resonant music of the
dogs was turned into howls and it was
evident from the noise emanating
from the cane brake, perhaps three
quarters of a mile distant from the
party, that the dogs had encountered
trouble and that some of the pack
were in deadly contest with some
party went towards the scene of the
noise but the nearer they approached
the more certain they became that
the dogs were being killed and that
more than possums and coons had
been found. But yet the crowd push
ed on through the dense cane until
within perhaps two hundred yards of
where there was an uproar and
chorus of whines that eclipsed what
may be surmised OF what is now TAX
ing place on some of the European
battlefields. A council of war was
held as to the wisdom of proceeding
further when to the horror and
of the party, they heard
a crash of sticks and the breaking
of cane as if a cyclone was coming.
The noise they soon found was made
made by the dogs that were yet
alive, in retreat. pursued by what
Mr. Roberts and companions said
were a pack of wolves. AS the
howls of the hounds and the growl
and roar of the wolves came near it
was seen that the first dog had a
wolf swinging to his tail, the wolf
with another dog to his tail and the
second dog with wolf to his tail,
and this tail swinging was repeated
until seven dogs and six wolves were
engaged But when this string of
frightened and maddened animals
reached the hunting party, they were
found climbing saplings and trees
and it is stated that Mr.. Roberts
mounted small bush which bent
with him to the ground but while
swinging with his coat-tail almost
touching the mother earth, he sent
up a prayer to be remembered as
Daniel was in the lions den. At this
iuncture one of the hunters came
to himeslf and dropped out OF the
tree and brought his trusty rifle into
play which felled one of the wolves
to the ground and caused the others
to break holds and make for safer
quarters. The dead wolf, Mr.. Rob-
erts said. had teeth two inches long
and his eyes were as red as fire. The
hunters all climbed as high as they
could 90 into one tree and spent the
remainder of the night felicitating
over their bravery as well as their
escape from the jaws of the wolves.
But when daylight came the white
members of the party began to
count and they found that their col
ored hunters were missing, and they
concluded that they had fallen prey
20 the wolves, but to their surprise
and astonishment when they reached
home they found the negroes came
back the night before at IL o'clock,
and upon being asked how they. got
home and why they deserted the
party. they answered, "We got home
inst like we left home and we ruined
bekase we knew dat a place like dat
wuz no fittin place for a niger, foi
de fust time de wolf had er called
fo meat, you white folks would el
told dem, here, try dis niger fust.
De reason you didn't see US leave yelI
wuz becaze we jist mortally flew. >
Mr.. Roberts insists that there are
fully FIVE thousand wolves that in
L