San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1877-11-17


out in squads here and there and race
him as he comes back. Let three or
four men halt right here to give him
last push" ". f'"
The wild horse courted pursuit. Half
a mile away he was racing up and
down, throwing his heels into the arr
snorting, and paving the sod in his I'M
patience to be off. With whoop and
a yell, three lasso throwers started in
pursuit. They were almost near enough
for a throw when the horse headed
away at a trot. They could not gain
an inch, though they had three OF the
best mustangs in the Territory, and the
animals were pushed to the top OF their
speed. Head up, name rolling back
over his shoulders like a wave OF foam'
and his massive tail streaming out like
a flag, the White Devil lifted his feet
and put them down as steadily as clock
work. While they were doing their
best, they could see that he was not
using all his power. They kept up
continual yelling for the first five miles,
hoping to break his pace, but neither
shouts nor the reports of rifles lost him
a step. li.''" .t.
In seventy minutes the White Devil
was at the end Of the valley, fresh as q
daisy, while the mustangs, half mile
behind, were reeking and blown. He
waited for them to come up, and then
turned to the left, struck pace, and
swept away at such gait that he was
soon out of sight. Ten miles to the
east was the first squad of men. They
sighted him a mile away, and were all
ready for pursuit. Coming straight
ahead, with the grass almost smoking
under his feet, the wild charger passed
them not more than a hundred feet
away. He laid back his ears at their
yell, but went straight ahead at his
laundering pace. In ten minutes the
men could hardly see him. A second
and third squad were treated in the
same manner, and as the last one was
reached White Devil changed his pace
to gallop, threw up his heels, and
headed for the range. He was soon out
of sight, and the chase was abandoned.
At daylight next morning the strange
horse looked down from the ridge again,
and by and by walked down to within
pistol shot of the fort A band of sixty
friendly Indians, out on a hunt, had
halted at the fort the night previous,
and they were anxious to organize a
new chase. More than eighty well
mounted pursuers were ready soon after
breakfast. Some rode to cut off retreat
to the range, and others galloped down
the valley. An hour after they were out
Of sight the main body made dash for
the horse, which had been grazing for
the last half hour. He took to the val
ley as before, and men dropped out at
every mile to push him as he returned.
White Devil was pushed faster than
before, but he would neither break his
trot nor let horseman get within a
hundred feet of him. The Indians who
had gone on ahead were expecting him
to turn to the left, as before, but the
wild horse kept straight ahead as he
reached the mouth of the valley. He
ran out on the prairie for twenty miles,
firing out every horse in pursuit, and
then wheeled and returned over his
route of the previous day. Men were
waiting for him, but he scarcely appear
ed before he was out of sight. He was
pacing and trotting by turns, and not
until he reached the end of that eighty
mile chase did he break into run.
When near the fort he crossed the ridge,
shook off his last pursuer, and entered a
dark canyon in the mountains. The In
dams traced him until the canyon split
into three or four rocky defiles, and then
they canped down with the determine
ton to wait till hunger and thirst should
drive the fugitive out. Darkness came,
midnight came, and the watchers had
heard nothing.
With the soft tread of wolf, almost,
foe stole upon the Indians sleeping I'M
der the walls of the fort. Step! step!
step! and white object stood within
ten feet of the first sleeper and peered
this way and that. 1t was White Devil
The red men were still waiting in the
dark canyon, but the horse had emerged
from the range by some defile known
and used before.