The Litchfield County post., 1826-10-24
WILD HORSES.

WILD HORSES. e
The day before we came in view Of the
Rocky Mountains, i saw IN the greatest
perfection, that impressive, and, to me, all
most sublime spectacle, an immense drove
OF wild horses, for "a long time lowering
round our path across the prairie. / had.
often seen great numbers OF them before.
mixed with other animals, apparently qui-
eft, and grazing like the rest. Here there
were thousands unmixed, UNEMPLOYED
their motions, if such q comparison might
be allowed, as darling and as wild as those
of humniing birds Oh the flowers. The
tremendous snorts with which the front
columns Of, The phalanx made known, their
approach TO us, seemed TO be their wild
and energetic way Of expressing their pity
and disdain for the seryile lot Of our horses.
of which they appeared to be taking a
survey. ! hey were of all colors, mixed.
spotted, and diversified with every hne
from the brightest white to clear and shin.
ing black /; and Of every form and structure.
from the long and slender, racer, to those
of firmer limbs and heavier mould ; and of
all ages, from the curvetting colt to the
range of patriarchal steeds, drawn up in \
Inc, and holding their high heads for
survey Of US, in the rear. Sometimes thew
curved their nccks, and made no more
progress than just enough to keep pace
with our advance. Then there was kind
of slow and walking minuet, in which they
performed various evolutions with the pre-
cisions of the figures Of country dance
Then rapid M, cement shifted the front
to the rear. But still, in all their eyolt,-
tons and movements, like the flight ofsea-
fowl, their lines were regular, and free
from all indications Of confusion. AT times
a spontaneous and sudden movement TO.
wards us, almost inspired the apprehension
Of an united attack upon US. After a.mo- Z
ment's advance, a snort and rapid retro
grade movement seemed to testify their
proud estimate Of their wild independence.
The infinite variety Of their rapid move
ments, their tamperings and manoeuyers.
were of, such q wild and almost terrific
that it required but a moderate
stretch Of fancy to suppose them the genii
Of these grassy plains. At one period they
were formed for an immense depth in front
Of us. A wheel, executed almost with the
rapidity Of thought, presented them hover
ing on our tanks. Then, again, the cloud
Of dust that cnyeloped their movements.
cleared away, and presented them in our
rear. They evidently operated as great
to the horses and mules Of our
Cavalcadc. The frightcd movements, the
increased indications of fatigue, sufficiently
evidenced, with their frequent neighing,
what unpleasant neighbors they considered
their wild compatriots to be. So much
did our horses appear to suffer from fatigue
and terror in consequence Of their vicinity,
that we were thinking of some way to drive
them off; when on a sudden a patient and
laborious donkey Of the establishment,
who appeared to have regarded all their
movements with philosophic indifference,
prickcd up his long ears, and gave loud
and most sonorous bray from his vocal
shells. Instantly this prodigious multitude,
and there were thousands Of them, took
what the Spanish cell the !. stompado,"
With a trampling like the noise of thun-
der, or still more like that Of an earthquake.
q noise that was absolutely appalling, they
took to their heels, and were all in few
moments invisible in the verdant depth Of
the plains, and we saw them no more.
Region Of tever and ague, dnd Alligators.
Red river discharges its waters into the
Mississippi by broad and creeping stream,
through vast and profound swamp. 1t
seems deep canal it's dark surface rnf.
iled only by the darting of huge and strange
fishes through its sluggish waters the foa-
ming path of the mpnstrous alligator, the
shark Of rivers, thousand little, silver fish
es leaping from the water, and sparkling
like diamonds; numberless alligators trav-
crsing the waters in every direction, and
seeming to be logs possessing the power u
self-direction or occasionally these logs
sinking one end in the water, and raisine
the other in the air, and MAKING deeS
and frightfid below, between the hiss Of a
serpent and the roaring of bull the law
and droning fight of monstrous birds, slow
" Tapping their wings, and carelessly sail
ing along just over the surface of these dark
and mephitic waters, with savage and
outiandish scream, apparently all neck, and
feathers ;aAsoit above. the bank greasy and
slippery, with deposit of slime !; trees
marked fourteenfeet high by an overflow
Of half the year gullies seventy feet deep,
and large enough to be the outlets Of riv-
ers, covered at the bottom with purifying
logs, and connecting the river with broad