The Shasta courier., 1865-09-09
How Wild Horses Fight.

l had often heard from pe0n authority,
and sometimes from white men. whom | ac-
counted somewhat better authority, Of the
uses to which the horses of Hanos aad pampas
sometimes apply their heels; and, upon nu.
merous occasions since we came down into
the Great Basin, we have been furnished
with occular demonstrations of the proelivi.
ties of these fleet, both offensive and defen-
sive, not only their heels, but their fore feet
and teeth.
1t was not, however. until after we had
crossed the head waters of the Tacorary. en-
tered upon the country IF Cavocubavo range,
that we had an opportunity of witnessing n
battle royal, between the slender clean
limbed South American ran gers Of the Bra
lillian forests.
The six months that we had been in the
Great Basin had occupied us chiefly along
the courses of the Parana. Paranahvba, and
their tributaries, where there was little
wooded country, and. consequently, very
few of the large and more formidable animals
with which all the forest regions of the in
terror abound.
But we had got fairly into the wild-beast
regions at last, and for week or so, had
been favored with a good deal more of their
companionship than was agreeable. Pumas.
leopards, tigers, and cougars were quite as
numerous as we had found the smaller ami
mails out on the plains, and ten times more
neutrality-suspicious. the puma. the only
one of all our new neighbors who had no fear
of fire and very little of our rifles, compel
ling us by his audacious bravado, generally
to settle our difference with the lasso and
lance.
The northwestern slope of the Tucbayo
range is, perhaps, one of the most singular
sierra formations in the world From its
general base, which is densely wooded, iuts
out into the grassy plain. long, narrow spurs
Of sierra, of moderate elevations, of irregular
length and distances from each other, and all
quite heavily timbered to their very extremi-
ties. From bird d's-eye point of view the
mountains would probably appear something
like a vast comb, with the teeth irregularly
set or some of them broken out.
As rule, we kept to the level ground,
passing around these spurs; but occasional.
ly, when we came to a barrier of trifing ele-
vation and had fancy to replenish our
stock of game, we crossed one of these ser
rs,s either direct or diagonally, as suited our
purpose.
One afternoon we were crossing one of
these ridges, we'll in towards its base, and
had Just reached the summit. when Men.
doza, our wild Paraguayan outrider, came
driving back, all excitement, and shouting
in his lingua franca of the border:
lola Senors-vamos q yer? Ten ham,
os dos leo grande habsr casta muerto con.
ell carvalhos ~
Whats that. Mendoza-two liens having
death-ight with the horses?"
Isl, Senor Bon combato! Vamos a
ver."
So we went down to see: but Mendoza's
eagerness had slightly outrun the facts The
battle was not set yet, but it was inevitable,
and near at hand.
There would be right royal sport worth
witnessing. So, having gone down the slope
of the sierra at a rafting dash, we drew rein
just within the fringe of timber. where we
had an admirable lookout and LAYING clear
the axe of our lassos, loosening the fastening
Of lances, and unslinging our rifles, we pre-
pared for whatever emergency might arse.
The level, grassy plain between the two
spurs, was less than half. mile in width.
and about one third of the distance across IT.
counting from one side. and directly in front
of our position was grazing quietly q beauti-
full mouse-colored mare, having a pair of
twin colts, three months old. perhaps. frisk.
ing about her. Of to our right. and down
towards the bottom of the grassy cove. were
two immense pumas-male. and female
stealing cautiously up towards the unsus.
picious mare; away to the left. cut in the
center of the meadow, was small herd of
the finest looking horses had ever seen on
the llano or pampa.
The animals had discovered the pumas.
and were preparing for battle; while the
lone mare. her attention diverted probably
by the gambols of her foals remained uncon-
scious of danger.
The mare was about midway between her
friends and enemies, and the pair of fero.
eious brutes appeared to be calculating their
chances of pouncing upon and bearing of
the two foals before the horse brigade could
sweep down upon them.
There was something very like reason in
the sagacity manifested by the horses. The
herd numbered perhaps huadred animals