| Show A WILD RIDE OM ON SNOWSHOES down a mountain side sias by a pack of hungry wolves ducai inter later ocean STEAMBOAT SPRING 13 col june IO 10 perhaps not many people east of the rocky mountains hare bave ever traveled on snowshoes enow shoes the norwegian or skeea aro are the onea ones mostly used here they bey are generally made about ten feet long with will the he end bent up not unlike a eleigh sleigh runner they fire not lifted from the ground when in motion but slide along on the crust rust and the experienced snow by the simple throwing of of bis his weight on the shoe set ahead moves along at a much faster rate than the pedestrian going down a decline one goca goes at au such c h a terrific ath rate of sit speed eed that one has to use k brake rake that is ride tho the pole which is generally a stick some eight feet long which is held iu in front in the hands and then eat sap upon so it will plough in tb the enow esnow thus lessening the tile speed on the of february last I 1 started from my cabin at the foot of storm Aloun mountain tain make a trip to the top to if the fur bearing animals were still out it ia is only about ten miles to the top and I 1 reckoned that I 1 could easily casily make there and back in a day packing a slight lunch touch I 1 tied it to my belt and started slowly and painfully I 1 worked my way hii up by tacking lacking as a it is impossible to travel straight up a steep incline on snowshoes woon noon came and I 1 bat sat down in the shelter of a rock to eat my lunch I 1 saw that it would be late when I 1 reached the top but that did not alarm me for I 1 have come from the top of storm mountain to my cabin in twelve minutes when I 1 had reached the top and looked it over I 1 was surprised to find thes unjust just going town darkness falls very sudden in this country after sundown and I 1 concluded to await the rising of the moon which I 1 knew would rise soon after dark as it would be dangerous snowshoeing enow shoeing it down the mountain side in the dark as one could not keep the trail and would be liable to rush headlong against again t a tree or go plunging over a precipice darkness tell fell as I 1 have reeo a never seen it before everything was obliterated I 1 sat on my enow shoes at the head of the trial wait ing for the light of the moon th the silence was oppressive all around me I 1 could see the dim outlines of the snow capped peaks peak 8 dark and sombre rearing their beada beads tollard the sky I 1 I 1 must have fallen asleep but I 1 awoke with th a start at the tile cry of a panther com coming ing from a path of green timber a short distance to the left this was followed by the cry of a timber wolf which was answered by another and another until the hills re sounded with their weird howls soon gaunt shadows flitted flirted from tree to tree all around me then the awful thought burst upon mo me that I 1 was surrounded by wolves which at this ibis season of the year are very hungry and fierce if I 1 cou could III keep them at bay un on til tit the moon rose 1 was safe as I 1 could easily kee keep P away from them ae As one came close I 1 did a very foolish thing pulling my re I 1 shot him through the body with a fearful yell he e started to run the blood pouring from the wound in a stream he ile was pounced upon in in a second and torn to pieces by bis his companions crazed by the taste of blood the w whole yelping pack charged upon me it t wag was growing light in the desei east where here the moon would eoon soon rise but was still top toe dark to travel with safety but I 1 tarried not atil hastily slipping my feet in the leathers of my my snowshoes I 1 started down the le steep incline as if shot from a cataqult catapult down down down into t the e darkness I 1 rushed at a headlong rate A gaunt t bruto brute crouching near a tree sprang at my throat threat but he be had not calculated on my ray rate of speed and harmlessly through the air ten feet behind me on came the pack but their cries became fainter and fainter and I 1 soon began to ride ray my pule pole and slacken my rato rate of 9 speed eed a s I 1 was passing close to the brink of a precipice end soon had bad i a turn to make which one cannot canno t easily make with snowshoes enow shoes twelve j feet long I 1 stopped at the turn to wait the rising of the moon which soon came up making it tu a light aa day I 1 believed that the wolves had bad left to hunt some slower game but that delusion soon suffered ft it rude shook soon the yelps yel pa commenced with redoubled fury as they scented roe ine and came closer and closer I 1 got on my ehrea anil and railed waited nothing loath to showing them again how easy it was to give them the slip blip on they came and as they got close I 1 st started arteAl out once mo more re but was horrified t to 0 find that at this ibis place the der decline litle was not great enough for the tile shoes to r run on themselves vee I 1 had bad forgotten until this time about this place there was a bench about five hundred yar yard di long and from ebore the trail veered to the tile right and for half a mile descended very nearly at an angle of 45 degrees then the aug angle lawas wae not quite so much touch but till still very steep down a trail ae as straight as a a string to my cabin seven severi miles below on came the howling pack A and knowing it was life or death to get to the tile steep decline before my purim pursuers I 1 auers I 1 bent every energy to r reach it every timo time I 1 shoved a foot ahead I 1 would rive give a push with m my pole tend fending jog my self alon along I 1 x about au t five feet each lime time As reached the turn I 1 could hear bear their yelps right behind me and could even hear bear their heavy breathing IV while hile I 1 was turning my shoes one big brute in advance of the rest reached me and with ft it fearful on snarl art spranget sprang at st my bead head I 1 stooped and as ho he went over me we I 1 straightened myself on my shoes and started down the steep hill I 1 plunged down town with a speed peed that no steam could give trees ree flew like spec t tres res looking down the narrow path it seemed like a plunge to destruction IOD i on on 1 I went tiding riding ray MY ale pole for dear life trying vainly to check bee k my speed my aly pole snapped like a pipea pipestem tem under the heavy strain and I 1 bounded forward with increased speed the world swam before my eyes trees reeled back from my course with a horrible nightmare weirdness I 1 dont exactly remember what the next sensation was but I 1 tried to peep out from under my hat and it was ala mla all a blur trees rocks landscapes were all blended together in an mass it seemed an age but it was in fact but a very few moments until my toy speed began to decrease th the momentum was speeding me out onto tit the mesa indian lor tar valley I 1 saw my cabin close by but having no pole r could not stop sto P sol I 1 disengaged my feet from my snowshoes and rolled off into a drift an and it let the shoes go on I 1 found them next day nearly a mile from there if it I 1 should live a thousand years I 1 would never forget that wild dig night lit ride nor the indescribable feeling of excitement fear and ana pleasure as I 1 plunged wa mouy aly down the narrow path from old storm mountain |
