The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1874-11-14
on THE PLAINS OF COLORADO.


Reynolds ranch, a few miles west of Bent
Fort. Mr.. Reynolds owns about A. 900 head
of cattle. and has collection of some three
or four adobe buildings of the usual size and
architecture, and stable for saddle horses,
which constitute his headquarters. The
site of this ranch is Immediately under a
range of bluffs whose points protrude on
tho bot, ON with small canons winding up
among them till the higher plain is reached,
and the undulating dry country stretches
away to the horizon with no trace of human
habitation; the home of the antelope, and
the feeding grounds of thousands of cattle.
A short distance from the ranch, our skit-
fish mule SHE'D at something lying in the
middle of the prairie road, which proved to
be dead horse. Approaching the spot
where the remains of the animal lay, the
circle of sward torn in its death struggle,
showed the agony the poor brute had suf
fered before life became extinct. The
driver looked at the dead animal, which
was beautiful specimen of the equine
race, and said banco-back broken" On
inquiry, he explained that the animals
back had been broken in the attempt to
subdue it to the saddle; that the dead ami
NAL was one Of the breed of California
horses, used principally by herders for sad.
pie animals, vicious, high strung breed of
horses, given to that most intolerable of all
tricks practiced by wild horses, called buck
ing. The animal when mounted, in its
efforts to throw the rider from its back,
will spring from the ground and alight on
all tours, with legs as rigid and stiff as
steel bars. This practice produces so vio
lent a conclusion as to Immediately unseat
the rider, who is hurled into the air like a
ball thrown against a rock. There are,
however, professional riders who cannot be
unseated even by such violent efforts as
these on the part of the horse. These buck
ing horses, when mounted by a rider who
deties their most violent efforts to throw,
will frequently spring into the air several
feet, and come down on rigid limbs with
such force as to break the animals back
when they are mounted by heavy rider,
The rider then strips off the bride and sad
die and leaves the poor animal to writhe
and die, where it fell, as was the case with
the fine horse we came upon lying in the
road. At the ranch we had passed, was a
tall, powerful built man in high topped
cavalry boots, with immense spurs on,
who, the driver said, was bucking horse
breaker, and who probably had been the
rider of the dead animal we found on the
road. Mr.. Reynolds has two hundred
horses, and from this stock he draws his
saddle horses, which are used principally in
herding cattle; and his ranch is doubtless
representative ranch among the large cat
tie men.
As we drove out from Reynolds ranch,
my watch made the time 915 p. NJ, which,
however was Philadelphia time. The sun
had not yet set on the praires, and directly
behind us doomed up the dark head of Pixies
Peak, while the two Spanish Peaks, like
twin SUBMITS, lowered up against the
southeast sky above the Greenhorn Noun
tains in the direction of New Mexico
clearly cut on that azure field, which spread
a cloudless canopy above the limitless ex-
panse of disolate plains.
A drive Of few miles brought US to the
far famed trading post of the Arkansas
river, Bent's old Fort. This Fort was
built by Col. Bent, when all this country
was claimed by the Indians, and whose title
had not been purchased by the Government
Col. Bent secured the sight of his Fort and
a considerable tract from the Indians by
purchase, or by permission from the tribe,
to establish trading post; but having
completed his Fort, he defied the noble red
men, and did pretty much as he had a
mind to, without much regard for the
wishes of the savages. This Fort is built
of adobe bricks, the walls being very thick
and loop holed for rifles. The dwellings of
Bent and his garrison of wild hunters and
trappers, we're built of adobe also, inside
the walls of the Fort, the Fort walls FORM
ing the outer wall or front of the houses.
did not measure the dimensions of the
Fort into which our gig drove through
wide entrance in the WALL but it was about
one hundred feet by fifty or sixty. The
walls are about eight or ten feet high at
present. but formerly, we were told, were
much higher. There was plenty of room
for horses and cattle within the walls in
times of danger from the Indians; and
after this formidable place was built and
occupied by Col. Bent, it became the head
quarters for all the wild spirits on the bor-
der, and a hundred desperate characters
who were experts with the rifle, could be
quickly gathered to the Fort in times of
threatened danger from the Indians, who,
however. we're generally on pretty goods
terms with Bent, the Fort being one of the
chief trading posts of the country, where
the savages could exchange their peltries
for " fire water" and other supplies; Bent
having a squaw for a wife, was more of an
Indian from his mode of life and habits,
than civilized human being.
AT the Fort, the stage from Las Animas
was waiting our arrival, and Alright
beautiful night had settled over the prairie
as we drove out of the Fort and crossed the
Arkansas river. A drive of ten or twelve
miles brought us to Las Animas, my start
ing point, for Kit Carson few days
before, and the end of ninety miles drive
in one day across the plains of Colorado, in
which pretty good view of that country
is had, and outside of the mountain towns
the best part of the country is passed
through, that bordering the Arkansas
river. The country along the river be-
tween Las Animas and Pueblo, has been
settled for number of years, and is COM
paratively free from danger to be appre-
hended from Indians.
The wild animals of these plains are the
buffalo, antelope, rabbits, wolves, beaver,
prairie dogs, etc. The former have long
since been banished from the country
through which travelled between Pueblo
and Las Animas. Antelope are still plenty
and may be seen skimming away over the
bluffs in small herds Wherever the coun-
try is dryest the prairie dog towns are met
with. These little animals are in teeth,
color and appearance, as well as their man.
ner of life, not materially different from
our ground hog. They are about the size
of a squirrel, but shorter and thicker in the
body, with teeth as formidable, according
to their size, as the ground hog of our own
county. They are easily tanned and are
kept as pets by some folks, who love those
kind of companions. l met with one of
those pet fanciers, who had two young
prairie dogs in box, that were quite tame
and would rear on their hind feet when
grasshopper was put in their box and hold
ing it in the front paws, like squirrel.
devour the insect with relish which
showed decided partality to chopper"
dessert.
The greyhound is a favorite dog with the
dwellers in this region and is used for hunt,
ing antelope and jack-rabbits. An ante
lope can run with great swiftness for
short distance, but they soon are blown,
and in race of three miles a greyhound
will usually overtake and pull down an
antelope. Not So however, with the jack
rabbit, which shows great game and endur-
ance, as well as astonishing fleetness of
foot. The jack rabbit is about three times
as large as our cotton tail, and when put
up to the top of his speed by pursuing
greyhound, will clear thirty feet at a spring,
and his leaps are made with such lightning
speed as to defy the eye to mark when his
r. I, = A OH