The Storyteller.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXVIII, Issue 9, 1 March 1900, Page 23

The Storyteller.

A HUNTER HUNTED.

yJoNEK got U3 the tale. /^ ' Tell us that yarn of yours about the wolves, Granby,' he said. ' When they all ' 'Well, don't give it away before-hand," said someone, 'if Granby's going to tell it.' ' I don't mind,' said the latter. ' Only remember, all of you, that it isn't a yarn, as Jones is pleased to describe it. but the true ptory of what actually happened to me. ' I was in the Novgorod Government on business,' he commenced, ' and occasionally did a bit of snowshoeing, earring a shotgun in case of a hare or a tree-partridge, or so. They were very scarce, however, and I rarely got a shot. Consequently I usually carried no more cartridges than the couple with which my gun was loaded — a very foolish practice which I have since abjured, and which Ido not recommend to any of you. Always carry at least half-a-dozen cartridges, even though you are practically certain to have no use for the same. This is a concession to the chapter of accidents which it can hurt no one to make, for half-a-dozen cartridges are no great weight, neither do they take up much room.

' Well, I'm afraid I was a duffer. I went out into the forest one afternoon upon my snowshoea, carrying a gun with a couple of fours, but with no reserve of cartridges in my pocket. I merely intended to take my day's exercise, and the chance of a shot at some stray hare or bird was but a secondary consideration. I wandered for several hours, getting, of course, deeper and deeper into the heart of the forest — a circumstance which pave me no anxiety whatever, for the weather was clear and there was no danger of snow falling to obliterate the tracks of my snowshoes, and if a fellow cannot find his way home upon his own tracks, why he must be unfit to venture outside his own back garden, and had better sit at home and darn stockings. 'There was a little rascal of a tree-partridge whose shrill whistle lured me farther and farther onward. • Then, suddenly, something happened that changed my dull, almost purposeless ramble into an exciting enterprise and set my heart beating with all the ardour of a sportsman. Something skulked across my path, a large grey creature which at first — like a fool — I took for a small donkey, though I might have known that such an animal was probably not to be found nearer than the Zoological Gardens at Moscow, where one was kept as a rarity and greatly valued as such. ' Then, like a flash, the truth was borne in upon me — it was a wolf, and a huge one. Fool — idiot that 1 had been to miss «uch a chance' for even number fours — and at a distance o: twenty yards — might have so wounded the brute that I should have chafed and perhaps overtaken him. 'I rushed forward in the forlorn hope of cat Jiing sight of him once more, little as 1 de.*ervcd it. • Well, I did catch f-ight of him. Skulking off quickly with a grinning face — s it seemed — turned back at me over his shoulder, he vu\s cantering under the trees thirty yards away, and 1 sent a cartridge-full of number fours after him ' Of course, he instantly disappeared, but there was n spot of blooi upon the track of the* brute, who — to judge from the so-ne-what scrambling footmarks he hxd left in his limt frightened rush into cover — had retreated upon three legs instead of four. ' A*ay I scudded at full spaed. I had my second barrel, and — said 1 to niy-elf — I would keep my head and my cartridge; even though I should come an close upon the brute as M or 1^ yards from his tail I woul 1 not lire. I should wait until I could actually overtake him, and then spurt alongside and fire point-blank into his ear ' Even as I turned 1 saw him again, 40 yards ahead, going for all he was worth lit a tluee-lcgged gallop, holding his fourth foot in the air, and from time to ti ne losing ground by suddenly stopping for an instant to turn and bite at the wounded member, which he would do with a yelp of pain or rage. ' Away he went and away went I after him, and soon — though I hesitated to assure myself of the fact, lest it should prove a mistake and disappoint me — soon 1 could not help being pretty certain that 1 was gaiuing. 1 It was not very long before the forest bagan to thin, and it became evident that I had trjve'led fairly across the belt of forest, which I had entered at the Moicow side, and was about to emerge at the other end. By this time I was within l.~> or 2<> yards of the wolf, who hobbled along well, considering that he was a leg short. ' Another minute or two and we had passed out of the forest and were careering over a wide plain, and here — just as I expected. I be^in to gaiu pretty rapidly, a yard at a time, till I was first 12 paces, the l but 10, and at hist but a bare half-dozen from his tail. The left hind leg was broken. I could see, near the foot. ' I now began to feel certain of my wolf, and only waited for the moment when I should make my effort, spurt rapidly for a moment or two, rush past him on the right, and empty my gun into his hesd at discretion. I must be careful and do the thing thoroughly, once for all, since I had been so idiotic as to bring not a single spare cartridge. ' Quickly we flew across the wide plain that opened, level and f^ white, from the edge of the forest, and now we had reached a bushy patch of ground that seemed to crown a gully, leading. I suppose, in summer to the banks of a .streamlet or small river. ' I was almost at the very tail of my limping quarry, who panted now as he ran, occasionally turning a wiokel face at me over his shoulder and snarling back at me a message of deadly

hatred and menace, which made me doubly determined to be very sure of my shot before I attempted to perform the happy despatch of him, for if I Hhouli only wound and enrage the brute and he turned and fell upon me with those fangs that he seemed so anxious to show me in all their glistening glory, why, the chase might end in a manner which would prove less agreeable to me than I had taken the liberty to expect ' Just as I was in the very act of sprinting forward in order to bring myself level with the side of his head, which I should then blow iulu IrdgmuiU at half a yard range, we reached the top of the gully just mentioned and my snowshoes began to slip and skid and show th-il inclination to cio.^a one and another and floor their master which is so familiar to all those who have practised the pretty art of ski-running and especially of shooting the hillsides, upon the narrow, slippery gnowshoes or ski used in Norway and Russia. ' I should have been all right, for I flatter myself that I can negotiate a steep hill on the shoes as successfully as most, but, unfortunately, the slope was covered with the stumps of felled or burned trees, some of which were visible above the surface of the snow, and some invisible, just beneath the snow level.

' I dodged two or three of these, and the impetus of my rapid descent was just carrying: me like a lightning's flash past the wolf, when suddenly the points of my ski struck a tree-stump concealed just beneath the surface, and in a moment I was flying head first through space, to plunge an instant later, face first, into a deep snow bath that awaits the overthrown eki-runner, and into which he penetrates to any depth that the impetus of his flight avails to carry him. ' I was furious with rage and disgust. I knew I should now lose all the ground I had gained, and a great deal more besides, before I could be up and after ray wolf, even though by good luck, and I suppose the instinct of the moment, I had clung to my gun, and still held it fast in my snow grave. ' But, alas ' No sooner had I begun to move in order to regain the surface and get once more upon my feet than I became aware, by a violent twinge of pain at the ankle, that I was damaged. It was agony to move my leg, and in despair and the deepest mortification I instantly realised that the hunt was up ; 1 had lost my wolf. ' This was bad enough, and at the first moment I certainly did not think that anything could possibly bd worse, but when I began to pick myself up and attempt to get into my snowshoes once again I learned that worse things are possible than the mere losing of a wolf. ' For I now discovered that I was dead lame. My ankle was badly sprained ; the pain was great but that was nothing. The significant thing was that I could now no more attempt to skate homeward upon my snow-shoes than leave them behind and fly homewards with only my coat-tails for pinions. • 1 sat down and began to think how I should best proceed in order to get back to town. It was obviously impossible to travel at any pace ; the cha^e was vp — I thought no more of that as a possible thing — but could I limp slowly along (if such a word can be used of ski-goin», even of lame ski-going ') or, indeed, use my sprained foot in any way whatever in order to get homewards ? 'A very little while spent in the attempt served to convince me that 1 could not. ' Slowly the conviction forced itself upon me that I was destined to «pen<l the night out of doors. • Xow, this was not only an extremely disagreeable prospect, seeing that I was without food or warm clothing, but distinctly a dangerous one as well, for. what if it should come on to snow — as well it might at this season — and the new fall were to obliterate the tracks of mv snowsboes ' Why. then I should not be found, maybe, until I was frozen stiff and hml, a candidate for sepulchral honours, which, of course, are all right so far as they go, though I, for one, prefer to remain as long as p )ssible on the sunny side of the soil, and have never yet felt any ambition to be buried, even smartly. 'On the other hand, if the weather continued line and clear,my tracks would remain, and I should undoubtedly be sought for and easily found by my friends, but not until the next morning ; for the short day was already almost ended, and dusk Lad begun to blunt the sharp lines and edges of the forest that lay behind and in front of me, surrounding the two-mile plot of open land in which I lay. I was, I suppose, quite ten miles from home. In a word, the prospect was unpleasant. ' 1 would, I think, have painfully hobbled back as far as the nearest pine cover, but that it occured to me, on reflection, that I would rather be benighted in the open than in the midst of the forest, where prowling beasts might creep np unseen, in the shadow of the pine tree^. and watch and perhaps attack me unsuspected. ' My w outvied wolf, for iastance, mi^bt well bethink him that I had caused him severe p»in, and perhaps the anguish of fear also — for I hal all but caught him when an evil destiny upset me and my calculations and gave him the game Perhap3 he would return upjn his tracks — jatch me asleep beneath a tree— work himself into a passion of hunger, which, for a wolf, is the one and only road to courage, and presently— primed to the necessary pomt — would suddenly spring upon my throat, aud — crunch ' — exit sleeper, after a disagreeable awakening ! ' No— l would remain here in the open, where, at least, I could watch and see anything that moved within sight, i'here would be half a moon to-night. I should distinguish objects pretty plainly. 1 So I tied up my ankle, which was swollen and painful, and covered myself with snow for warmth, until little but my head remained above surface, and waited. 'My gun, with its one No. 4 cartridge, lay beside me— my only lriend and guardian, a kind of one-armed sentry, that could etrike but one blow in my defence, and must then, like its lame master be overpowered.

' It was cold, but my body was warm enough, buried in the Bnow. I thought of everything that was most distracting : I thought of my business, of my best girl — nnd, perhaps, ot my second best — of my holiday in England now looming in the near and blessed future— and after a while I fell asleep. ' I slept, I suppose, for four hours at least, and it may have been more. One of my ears was frozen slightly, but otherwise the cold had not hurt me. I looked sleepily around to ni-ike Mire that all was safe. The moon wa« up and I could <-co f,nrly well to a considerable distance. ' The forest line was indistinct, though of murw H e tons of the trees were clearly outlined against the -ky. In tront of the forest. half-way between them and me on my left, was a row of treefitumps that I did not remember — six, seven, nine of them. It was curious that I had not noticed these, for they stood so symmetrically, like a line of little black men on '-entry-go ' I rubbed my ear with snow, releasing my arms to do m, and soon made it comfortable. Then Igl meed again, but (juite without design, in the direction of the row of stump-. Th'ywere not there I 'I winked my eyes and looked again. Certainly thpy had disappeared. Was my sight goinu wrong — spots in the eye or something of the kind— the result of the fro-t ' I rubbed the skin violently all around them and lookel again. Tne stumps were not there ; but my eyes felt all right. I must have beeu mistaken. 'Sol sat still awhile, and gave myself up to the luxury of thought. I was going to England, I had done well in my business. and I might marry if 1 chose, and if someone else cho-e. The thing was, did I choose .' I liked girls, and this girl perhaps best cf them, but ' Sudenly my meditations were broken by a sound which positively made my blood run cold ; it always does whenever I hear it, and under any circumstances — the howl of a wolf ; the dreariest, saddest, weirdest, uncanniest cry that ever was selected by one of God's creatures to convey information to a brother of his ilk, or, it may be, to relieve his own feelings. It was doubly weird, trebly terrifying now — when the sound betokened extremely serious things for me, and since it was. moreover, much nearer than I had ever heard it before. ' At the same moment, slowly turning my head in the direction whence the howling proceeded, I observed that the nine stumps which I had seen on my left now stood in a row on my right. 1 Then I recognised those tree-stumps, and recognised also my position, which was most unenviable I can assure you. The stumps were, of icourse, wolves — nine of them, seated upon their haunches and watching me ; licking their lip-, no doubt, and trying to pluck up courage to run in and win. ' I waved my arms and uttered a shout. •Likeadieam the creatures vanished, scudding for the cover of the pines a- tho igh the Evil One were after them. "•Come," I thought, '"you arc far from worded up as yet. my friends ! There may still be a chance for me if Ike'p my head ' ' ■As a matter of fact, a wolf is a great coward until he is so hungry that famine and desperation compel him to disregard danger for his stomach's sake. The winter hail not been a very cold one. however, and the«p wolves were probably by no means! starving ; if there had been but one or two they would not have dared even this much ; their numbers had emboldened them. livery companion adds to the pluck of a wolf, and in that 1-iy my danger ; for here were nine wolves, and nine wolves are more than niDe times more dangerous than a single wolf. ' Presently they were out again and seated upon their haunches watching me. I shouted a second time, and once more they fid. but not so far as the fore-t line, turning and squatting this time after running a few yards. This was a bad sign, for it meant that they were beginning to gather courage. I renamed still, anxious to see to what extent their courage would avail them, and whither I was to regard the brutes as leally dangerous or not. 'Of a sudden one of them set up a howl, and another chimed in. It was just as though he hud cried '■ Come, boys, there's, only one, and probably he's almost frozen to death. Let's make a dash and have him !" — for immediately the whole company started and trotted towards me, suddenly stopping and squatting when within about thirty or forty yards. 'I do not pretend that I was not frightened On the contrary. I gave myself up for lost as they came nearer and nearer. I prayed. and then shouted. It was in response to my shout that they stopped and sat down. But the effect went no further than this . evidently my shouts no longer greatly terrified them since they found that these were followed by no physical injury to themselves. ' At a distance of forty yards they sat and watched for an hour. During this time my courage rather increased ihan diminished I stood up and waved my arms, doing imaginary dumbbell exercises. This kept me warm, and prevented, it 82 mcd, a further advance id the enemy. 'Then I grew tired and rested, and almost immuliately the brutes advanced another ten or fift°en yards, and again squatted upon their haunches and watched me. The situation was becoming somewhat desperate. 'Then I took to singing sones. I sang a dozen on end, In w ling them at the top of my voice till I was hoarse ami was compelled to stop. Instantly my nine friends advanced — this tini'i trotting forward until they sat within ten yards of me. It waa more than horrible, almost maddening. Indeed I think 1 grew somewhat light-headed at this point of my trials. I rcMiemember addressing the ninp grim, squatting brutes in a speech, abusing them in calm but coldly-cutting terms — a speech, biting, sarcastic, venomous, but not, I think, rude. I remonstrated with them, and also threatened them. I had nay gun, I told them, and intended to blow out the brains of the first wolf that venture 1 to come with a four-foot circle.

' The wolves seemed ti listen with interest. They fidgeted their feet when I had tinishe.l speaking, and one or two whined softly. One howled aloud — it was terrible ; moreover, it seemed as if the sound encouraged the rest, lor they moved a very little closer. ' I went through wild gymnastical exercises, some of which al irmed them sufliciently to drive them for a moment or two a few yaids further from me, but they soon returned, and again gat about mp as el ),r> as the nearest point up to which they had yet ventured. ■ So lonir as f m wed or spoke they ca v.c n"> nearer, and so the matter halted tor a period which seemed an eternity, but which was, I suppose, two or three hours at most. Then I became so hoarse th it I coul 1 -peak no more, and was, moreover, so ueary that every movement, besides being most; painful to my injured limb, which th" gymnastics had not relieved, was an effort for which I scarcely now p )ss(>^sed suflicient strength. I felt that I must sit down and rtst, It they came nearer in consequence one should div at any rate and perhaps the shot would scare the rest. I sat down and waittd and rested, gun in hand. 'Almost iminedia'ely the wolves began to grow impatient, believing, I suppose, that the tune had nearly arrived when an attack upon mo might be. made with imp inity. One or two began to trot round and round me — a move which disconcerted me very much, for 1 could not protect myself both in front and behind at the same time. Tho whining turned to snarling— matters were coming to a cri-is. 'Suddenly, and almost unexpectedly, for I had not thought that I should be attacked quite yet, one of the brutes rushed in, open-mouthed and long-toothed, uttering no sound but a kind of indrawn snarl : he had actually fixed his teeth in my leg — partially protected by the felt-lined leather knee-boot that 1 wore — before I was aware of his intentions. I felt the drag of his jaws as he pulled at my ilesh, his teeth firmly fixei in my calf, his desire being, I suppose, to haul me away among his comrades, to be torn to pieces at discretion. ' He had, I think, dragged me a little way before I brought my gun to bear upon him, and fired. ' His jaws relaxed their hold and his eyes dimmed, he fell backwards from me, recovered himself and snarled viciously, looking like an angry devil and striving to gather himself together, as though to spring upon me, but in a moment he fell back again. dying. 1 1 looked about. ha\ ing struggled to my feet, for the rest, clubbing my gun for a last ti^ht. They were gone. ' Not for long, however. Inch by inch I saw them creep back until, within a quarter of an hour, they squatted and walked and trotted as before, licking their lips and snarling, within five yards of me. but keeping their distance. ' Suddenly one made a dart. I thought he meant to pull me down, and was ready for him with clubbed gun. out he seized his still struggling comrade by the foot and draped him away. ' Immediately the other seven i ell upon him and his prize, and a snarling, growling, n niini:, tearing match began, which lasted for an hour or mire — until the eight hail picked the one to pieces and swallowed every p irticle ot him save his bones— a devilish cannibal orgie. indeed, b'lt undoubtedly my salvation. • Tor whether i heir weird me il had s itisfied them, or whether the oncoming of dawn r. minded them that their deeds were deeds ot darkness an<l would not be ir the liifht of day. or whether, their hunger s-atL-hed it suddenly struck them that I was a dangerous thing and might at an) moment sp't tire at them, even as I had launched it at the Lit- lamui'ed objLct of their suppjr, whatever the cause, they drew off by ones and twos, and the howling of the last ot the crew died away in the -li-tance ot the torest. • Tins was ago 1 1 opportunity to faint, and I availed myself of it so thoroughly that when my friends arrived upon my track at i»bout eight or nine in the morning I was still as insensible as the picked bones of my victim, which lay. as witness to my adventure, l"> yards aw, >y. in the sp.it to which he had been dragged for the fea-t ' — Fhi.d Wtllsii \v\ , in Ciijituni Mmjazuu .