Evansville weekly journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 184?-18??, 1848-03-02
From the Spirit of the Times.

From the Spirit of the Times.
How Zoe Dunklin's Poney Run his Legs off.
One day Joe Dunklin drove up to country tavern
with a very short legged poney, which he called Dick.
The animal looked so dumpy as to attract the atten-
ton of several Of the knowing ones, who happened
to be out at the shed. After cracking several jokes
on the shortness of the animals legs, one of the party
said, inquiringly-
That's most singular creature, stranger-he-s one
of EN-, sartin-but these things happen frequently
You have no doubt seen various monstrosities in the
animal world p~artaking OF the same general charac-
t~eristics of this ANIMAL
Exactly, stranger. 1 have seen the Si'mese Twins
and the two-Iegged bear-besides any quantity of in
sects, from a bed-bug to a boa constrictor-bu [ never
saw one that run himself into that p%redlcament YETI
replied Joe.
you don't pretend to say that horse run his legs
off, said the individual, incredulously.
II don't pretend to say anything else, responded
Joe, looking the stranger full in the eye.
-''Well, Ideclare, it's tine most remarkable instance
I ever heard Of" said the stranger, scrutinizing the
poney more intensely than belore.''
''Ifyou'll stand the liquor, I'll tell you all about it,, -
said Joe.
4 ~ liuNA DcAuS Ou-uis AiOulltOu q GuSdl
h~ogshead, that he might edify the whole crowd, and
began as follows:
Zone day-no matter when, for I haven't time to
recollect dates-I was riding Dick slowly across one
of hose internally broad praries that seems to have
neither ends nor sides, dying between Fort Leaven-
worth and the Rocky Mountains,) and thinking about
the probable chances of losing my traps and scalp in
case l met VITA the Pawnees, when a low, rumbling
noise fell unon N oar like the mn taripu Of diStan,
thunder. Hooked up, but there wasn't a cloud-the
sky was just as blue and quiet as my wife Polly's eye.
So it couldn't be thunder. 1t might be an earthquake.
This wasn't a very pleasant reflection. for, asI have
lived in New Madrid and seen the ground cape some!
l expected every minute to find myselfand Dick beau
tilully buried without the assistance OF undertaken or
sexton.
THE sound by this time had increased to a pretty
chunky roar, and as there was no chance of being
swallowed an, / thought it only reasonable to take an
observation for things being to look as though they
wouldnt last long. Turning in my saddle, 1 saw one
ofthe most interesting spectacIes, to a man situated as
l was, that l ever expected to look on again. About
half a mile behind me, roaring, ~snorting, blowing and
raAniag as fh-ll was after them, was one Of the
most unrighteous piles of buffalo ever congregated to-
gether. And they put it down as if each fellow was
striving to be the first to get a dig at me. tried to
appear cool, but it was no use-my hair kept rising
till it got so stiff that each bristIe would have balanced
a plate. God how fierce they looked, with their eyes
flaming like fire Goals, and their shaggy names stream
ing in the wind!'
''Dindn't you feel awful?" asked a sympathetic
spectator, appealing to Joe.
Feel" responded ouI hero-'I felt like a stray pig
on the railroad track, with an express locomotive be-
LII b;uo oudoJ 1 HI, E,,ao IN L..L ill., &c H.
road. There was no such thing as running round
then, for they were spread across the prairie as far as
the eye could reach, and came down upon me like
great black wave. Time was growing precious; every
second counted. The only chance vas in a strait race
Dick and l against the field. In the twinkling of
an eye | stripped Dick to the bridal, and myself to the
spurs. The buffaloes were now well up, and doing
their nastiest-the pony all of a tremble to be off. 1t
was a sin to hold him, and, to tell the truth, l wasn't
very anxious to do so. A yell did the business, and
away we went!likc a scared dog.
Con! on! on!-praries, woods and rivers were pass
ed with a perfect rush. Still, the bufTaloes were
humping themselves just at my heels. Iknew by
the slackning thunder of their tramp, however that
the herd vas growing thinner. ThisI couldn't ac-
count for till afterwards. Just about this time one
of Dicks hoofs came off. He lmped a little, but
wouldn't give In an men. Wnen the second Slip
ped the pace become more even. Then the third went,
and in half a minute more his last hoof pulled off in a
q~uagmire. But when he got off his stumps, snails
and t~errapins! how he tore along. Looking back,
for I felt now just as easy as a hungry hog in a pota-
toe patchD there lay one of the prettiest strings ofbuf-
falo, for about five miles, that you ever did see. Cen
tlenien, we had run every devil of EN- to death, with
the exception OF one old bull, who seemed determined
to win or perish in the attempt. He couldn't quite
come it. though: we beat him just a length! Dick fell
at last, and SO he did the venerable Eclipse of the prai-
ries, just behind him, with his nose we'll up to the po-
ny's tail!
II got of, and looked first at Dick, and then at the
buffalo, and if there wasn't eight of the most beautiful
used up and ground off legs"
Tho bulls legs were not run of too2" cried an ex-
cited spectator, interrupting Joe.
You'd thought they were, if you'd seen 'em." re-
piled Joe, coolly.
did he Iive2n queried another listener.
'Hedidn'td do anything subsequent; and when saw
him again he hadn't a d-dbit oflegs at aU He had
had another race, 1 suppose, and run 'em off smack
up to his body.''
II guess that put an end to his ~racing?" said the
last speaker in the crowd.
"Well, it didn't y responded Joe.
How did he get along, thenl'
"He rolled, gentlemen, just as nat'ral as a saw log
on an inclined plain!" whereupon Joe descended from
his h-ogshead, noun ted Dick and rode off amid a shout
that would have done honor to the lungs of Stentof