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Otago Daily Times, Issue 74, 10 February 1862, Page 1 (Supplement)

hour?. Next morning we found ourselves popular characters in the town. The driver's tongue had not been idle. My revolver underwent many an examination. The Government or local reward for a dead wolf is throe roubles, which we claimed and received for three. So the wolves, instead of killing us, paid our travelling expenses. Thr. fourth animal I cau.-cd to be skinned for preservation,.as.a remembrance of the -greatest peril I was ever in.— Household Journal.

The wolf last shot was turn I. ling among the snow. The driver handed me the pistol to piir right, and begged another shot at the brute." This tiaislicd the engagement. I cannot tell how 1 felt. I could scarcely re--alize our streat deliverance. The driver securer' the car-casas to the sledge, and when we rcachwl the station I was completely exhausted from tin reaction of the strong cxi'itumont. My friend_ of the twenty stone chuckled much at his own trick upon the wolf he had killed. Instead of putting his arm in the animal' open mouth, as I supposed, he had stuffed into i! tha loose sleeves of his great sheep-skin coat, thereby getting plenty of ti'ine to cue the monster* throat." liis own arm was untouched ; but the poor horse's neck and shoulder were much lorn. After consuming an enormous quantity of te:v and part of our provisions, we left tho station, nail without mooting more adventures, except sevenu diggings out, arrived at Jnroslav at. eight o'clock, h.-Tving'accomplished about thirty miles in thirteen

is . ■■• ■■■!.■, .< ~i;:- ill\ i...-i.-i. i .va.'astoin.-'ii I'd to si-*■ in-.- ;:i)i!ii"iiiio;i coolly f-hnist one of 1::----rtiiiis iiiio liio u-iiif.-•• mouth, nnd as coolly, wit. his sli-'ornr.-ijTiMl Irmd, drawit g the knife, wiMi ■ dos'-p :i:id slmri! cut, across his tlircnt. A i>w.uJii:T cry' amnn-i t.Uc horses arrested my iittontioi:. Looking rou-id f saw aiiothcr woif actually fasteni?d uti the .ifr-hoi'sc by the neck. The driver w lietwoen me ntul tho wolf, lie t:riod, " Give in. the pistol !" [ did so, a«>l the. poor hor.-;<>. \v.ifree- So, .-ilso. wero vrn ; -for the other wolf raioff, followed by tho one with the broken log.

FAMISHING WOLVES. AN INCIDENT OF RUSSIAN TRAVEL

I had bssn living for some months in fi town on the Volga, in the centre of European Russia, forty versts from Jaroslnv, the Government county town. To reach that town I must traverse a wild and uninhabited truck, whore there were only two small hamlets, at one of which the twenty verst post station was to be found, if not buried in snow. My team of three horses, commonly called in Russian " a troika," had been carefully' selected from the various stabling establishments iii the place ;. the cost for driver anil horses to be three and a half roubles (or half a guinea, the rouble of a hundred copecks being worth a half-penny or two more than three shillings), which was no groat price for such a journey in such weather. Two woives had been killed in our principal street within a week.

One I had shot in my own court yard the day before we started, and many reports were current of their hunger and unusual boldness. It was even said a small village, about thirty versts distant, hud been attacked by them in force. These facts and stories made me careful about requisite defences. My six-barrel travelling companion was carefully loaded, mid placed in my belt ready for use ; a magnificent nine-inch bear-knife in. a sheath, and a formidable black-thorn cudgel heavily weighted at the handle, belonging also to my ornament. The brandy-flask, bag of provisions, bottle of water, matches, cigars, and portmanteau, having been stowed away, I was about to step into the open sledge, when a Russian neighbor came up and asked leave to join in the journey to Jaroslav.

My neighbour, though a gentleman for whom I had much respect, was the last man I should have chosen as a travelling companion in n narrow sledge, fur ho weighed, over twenty stone, had gwat dfßeulry in breathing, anil, when once he was seated, almost required horse-power to get him uj) again. Jle was a phlegmatic, lazy, good-natured monosyllable, cig,.rel-smoking monster, who was not to be refused j so, his request granted, ho rolled in on the right side and filled three parts of the fledge. My Russian house servants crossed themselves, whereby they infant, " God give you ' a safe jo:i'-ney.'' The members of my own family cried. " Good-bye, Go I bless you!" and the driver having gathered up the rope reins, I jumped in, and with n noo-noo to the cattle, 08' 'we went dead against a blinding drift. Fat-sides having observed my weapons, of which, he made the least possible use, " l'iatolet. Wolves. Shoot. Good." •• (lave you any weapons?" I said. " No." " Well, take this bear knife." I " Good," he said again, and relapsed into his corner. Daylight came struggling through the heavy morning cloud*, and disclosed a cheerless waste o' ridges and valleys of snow. The trees which at wide intervals indicated the route, did not savn us from often plunging into great pits of soft snow, the moment our driver turned but a few feet from the tract. This took place so frequently, and gave us so much trouble in iligg;ng ourselves out, that it was noon before we had male sixteen veruts—-hardly ten miles -having been six hours on, the way. At this point in our journey the driver sent the blood dnnring throutrh my vei-is, by theala-ming cry of " Volka ! Volka !"—" Wolves ! Wolve<!" [ sprang from my seat, and, looking ahead, aiw six great, gaunt, and no doubt hungry wo'ves, fitting exactly in our way, at the <list nee of about a hundred yards, or less. Our horses had huddled themselves together, trembling in every , limb, and refused to stir. We shouted and hawled, but the wolves also refused to stir. My fit f.-ien.], gathering a large handful of hay from the sledge bottom, rolled it into the form of a bill, and huud-.-d it (o me. saving, " Match."' I understood him at once. >The driver nvmuged by awful lashing and noo-nooing. to get the hor3i.'s on, until we came within a short distance of our enemies. By this time I had succeeded in setting fire to the ball of hay, and just as it begun to blaze out well, I threw it in among them. It worked like a charm. Instantly the wretches parted, three on each side, and skulked ■off slowly at right anules, their tails dragging ns if t'jfiy were beaten curs. On dashed our brave team—lain lash—no, noo. 1 ilirrah!" I s'vritod. wifh » lightened heart. '• we n:e safe this time, thank God.' '•Wait. I^ook back," said Fat-sides. F dil so, and I saw the wolves, who h:i] joine 1 each other again in fi« centre track, pausing, as. if to deliberate. Our horses were going at their utmost speed, the driver sounding up. and using lash and voice with all hi* m'ght to urge them on to the station, t'ie'l only about a 'rile and a half ahead. Luckily the r-Hid or track, as far as we could see, was free from drift, :vvl our hope was that we could gnin the station before the wolves should they pursue us. Looking back jn«t as we tunvd n ben 1 in the track, I saw the whole pack in swift pursuit I had often been t Id that wolves will not attack a party u'.iless in a large pack Six wax no large prick, yet here they were coming up to Attack ns. Then' was now no doubt, about that. Hunger through a long and severe winter must have made them daring. With the consciousness of an impen 'ing death-struggle I prepared for the result. My thoughts went, for one moment to my wife and children ; for another to the Great Dispenser of events. Then, throwing nlFmy sheepskin coat, so ;i% not to impede t.'ie free action of my arm* and legs, I sprang on the front seat beside the driver, but with my buck to the horses and my face to the pnemy. I said to the driver, '• Tuy are coming, brother ; drive fast, but steadily. I have six bullets in this pistol Don't move from your scat, but drive right iv the centre of the traoc "

My fat companion sal still in bis corner, and neither moved nor spoke ; but I saw the blade of my hear-knife gleaming in his hand.

The track had become worse, so that the horses could not maintain their pace. In a short time the wolves ran beside the sledge, the horses strained and shot on, keeping their distance, but in forcing our way through a drift we came to a walking pace, and the first, wolf on my side made a dash at the horse next him.

The pistol was within a fimt and a half of his head when I fired, and the ball went through his brain. I shouted my triumph in English ; ray companion answered it with a " Bravo !"

Thr; second wolf received ray second fire in the leir, which must have shattered the hone, for he dropped behin 1 instantly. " Bravo !" was again cried from the corner.

But the* .same muuent was tho moment of our greatest poril. My pistol fell into the sledge, as with a .sudden jolt, our horses flonndered up to bellies in a deep' drift ; when they came to a dead stop, and there was a wolf at each side of the sledge, attempting to yet in. ~.,,, My bludgeon still remained. With both hands I raise;! it high and brought it down with the desperate force of a m.-vn in mortal extremity, upon the head of the wolf on my .side. He tumbled over on his back, and the skull was afterwards found to lwvo boeu completely tHuwhed,