PITTING OF WOLVES. 339 



stopped, and putting themselves in an attitude of defence, awaited the 

 result. All around was dark, save a few feet of snow, and the silence 

 of night was dismal. Nothing could be done to better their situation, 

 and after standing a few minutes in expectation of an attack, they judged 

 it best to resume their march ; but no sooner had they replaced their 

 axes on their shoulders, and begun to move, than the foremost found 

 himself assailed by several foes. His legs were held fast as if pressed by 

 a powerful screw, and the torture inflicted by the fangs of the ravenous 

 animal was for a moment excruciating. Several Wolves in the mean 

 time sprung upon the breast of the other Negro, and dragged him to 

 the ground. Both struggled manfully against their foes ; but in a short 

 time one of them ceased to move, and the other, reduced in strength, 

 and perhaps despairing of maintaining his ground, still more of aiding 

 his unfortunate companion, sprung to the branch of a tree, and speedily 

 gained a place of safety near the top. The next morning, the mangled 

 remains of his comrade lay scattered around on the snow, which was 

 stained with blood. Three dead Wolves lay around, but the rest of 

 the pack had disappeared, and Scipio, sliding to the ground, took up 

 the axes, and made the best of his way home, to relate the sad adven- 

 ture. 



About two years after this occurrence, as I was travelling between 

 Henderson and Vincennes, I chanced to stop for the night at a farmer's 

 house by the side of the road. After putting up my horse and refresh- 

 ing myself, I entered into conversation with mine host, who asked if I 

 should like to pay a visit to the wolf-pits, which were about half a mile 

 distant. Glad of the opportunity I accompanied him across the fields 

 to the neighbourhood of a deep wood, and soon saw the engines of de- 

 struction. He had three pits, within a few hundred yards of each 

 other. Tliey were about eight feet deep, and broader at bottom, so 

 as to render it impossible for the most active animal to escape from 

 them. The aperture was covered with a revolving platform of twigs, 

 attached to a central axis. On either surface of the platform was 

 fastened a large piece of putrid venison, with other matters by no 

 means pleasant to my olfactory nerves, although no doubt attractive to 

 the Wolves. My companion wished to visit them that evening, merely 

 as he was in the habit of doing so daily, for the purpose of seeing that all 

 was right. He said that Wolves were very abundant that autumn, and 

 had killed nearly the whole of his sheep and one of his colts, but that 



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