The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1876-08-31
Life Among the Mountains OF Western
North Carolina
HIGHLANDS, MACON Co., y: c.,
Aup. 06th. 1876.

| HIGHLANDS, MACON Co., y. G.,
Aug. Goth, 1876
Among all the perP'exihg questions which
| have required solution this summer, the horse
! Gu estion has presented the most numerous pha-
ses, and proved the most difficult. 1t seemed
| hardly worth while TO buy for SO short time,
especially as the risk Of selling at any reasonable
rate at the end would be very great, as we were
finally compelled to realize. The Grst aim,
therefore was TO hire. Inquiry was mace in
| every 6irecLsan for miles and--'nileS'-N obooy
seemed abieto give any light or any encourage
kment. There were but few horses in the whole
region, and these resembled that CHASTITY skele-
ton which yankee used TO urge about the
streets ofKenosha, and for ought I know, still
continues to do, unless the animal has VirtUously
resented its hard existence and voluntarily and
deliberately given up the ghost. Oxen and
mules are used, though even these are not num-
Eerous. The former we did not want, ana the
! latter are always uncerta ~ We heard OF several
who had been known TO behave Whole year for
1.-the sake Of getting a good chance to kick or
threw their owners. Accordingly we shrunk
lfrom mules. We did not care to invest ia those
/ loag~eayed incarna:ions Of depravity.
After long searching, we succeeded in hiring
/ Nyhatnlight be termed horse. 'Ten years old''
said the owner-an ex-rebel sodier-tut ten
years, have elapsed since the wac, and the thing
| had q reputation through that country of having
been throp gh the service. The price per week
was at length agreed upon. it requiring some
time to convince him. as indeed it has most
others in this m0ney-f0rsaken country-tnat we
we're not millionaires. Hearing of another
"horseneight miles away, we went for it. Five
DAYS later We returned It. Its flesh was so thin
on the ridge that the saddle soon wore it throughs
and it couldsbe used no longer, by any amount
of fixing ana fussing. Next we found amouse,
colored beast, in appearance like the skeleton
mastodons which adorn museums, or it might be
compared to q dromedary, while again IL looked
every like whale" The expression Of its eye
plainly intimated, "I'll die on small provoca-
ton, so bewasel'' Considering all the eircum~
stances, wejudged it prudent to let the horses
walk on our rides. stopping to rest them occa-
sionally. Candor compels me to record. how
ever, that once or twice, as we were fer remote
from human observation, we,-my reverend
brother and myseH-were tempted TO test their
speed. They went like the whirlwind. or a
cataract, or tornado. and with as reliable gait.
We reined them in es suddenly as their momen-
tum would permit. and were content with a
more moderate pace thereafter 1t was altogether
too risky.
We kept the drOmedary four days and returned
him, The fret horse held out for full two weeks.
Ore day, my brother went to the pasture icon
sisting of about 100 acres of mountan.l and after
q search of two hours. came upon the corps Of
thar mieerable jade. Returning. he remarked
with subdued tones, while en- lie Of satisfaction
played over his countenanee, s'The old brute is
dead." Ie could hardly be said 10 be surprise. !
and properly considered, wasno laughing matter.
but fit of uncomfortable levity seized me.
delaying considerably any inquiry into the par
ticulars, No cause could be assigned for this
demise. save a"wicked aforethought and malice |
Possibly 1t might have been from a
lingering age, which ought long before to have !
released its hold upon that fragile form. Trouble
was anticipated, but a full explanation TO the |
owner, together with the fact that the horse had
been several days in the pasture without being |
used, satisfied him that the animal had come to
his death by natural expiration of breath, for
which we were in no wise responsible.
Our next horse was far past the meridian of
life. The owner remarked that she had spirit
and we soon came to the conclusion that that