The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1880-01-16
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hBsE am n@st when lee l. les mud
SHyn jota w,fo mt warning ssith each
other, or employed ia Investigating the
ii1nncaa with wlici ili,. white man =
scalp was attached, they devoted them
scves to hprec-tacinc, i,.t'iug blankets,
ponies and their Sluaws even upon the
results Of the coniests Now, although
there is no hnraehesh in the world that
can leave Ute pony hshind when
climbing rough and ragged mountain
mountain trails aud holding ont for
long journeys Is concerned, they are not
fast runners on level ground. So. how-
ever mortif, ing the confession was, the
Utcs were obliged to acknowledge after
a week of daily races that their horses
wero inferior 60 those Of tho Naysjoes ;
but. ley ihe time they were convinced
of this fact, ilic vholc trilio were nearly
hankruptc,i. The Navnines gathered
NJ their Ri.oils nn.l ,l.iAft,-.l Tor their
tents, while the Utes went 10 Ouray
~itl their tale of voc. Sapcnaro, Sha
vino aud Cnj0c werc AL heavy losers,
has. nt the council which Ouray called,
could suggest no plan 30 retrieve their
LOSSES except to follow ilin victorious
NasIliars. snd hy force deprive them Of
tbeir booty. t. this lroposi;ion Ouray
would not listen, saying that it would
stain the ercdit Of their tribe, and dis
missed the conncil, telling tho Utes TO
challenge the Nayajoes 10 another series
Of racing two months from that time,
September, 1874, and he would attend
to the rest. Through II. +. Bond. the
agent, Ouray having raised 81 200 10y
the sale Of seine of his stock, sent to St.
Louis and purchased Mambrino racer,
bay, and bad him brought to his
house. At tue expiration Of the two
months the Navaioes came down, hiring,
ing with them their best racer, one
which had won eight races IN the for.
mer contests, and called Wachita by
the Navajoes. Oursy caused it To be
given out that he had brought u pony
from Utah to contest the races, and the
Navajoes were on the tip,toe of expect.
alton as lie was brought forth. When
the blankets with which he was cover
cd from head 10 FOOT were removed
and painted all over 10 present the mp
pearance of halfstarved pony, the has
appeared, n shout Of dcrision rent th,
air from tho throats Of the Navajoes
and they began to bet odds (thrcc blan
kets against one, and the like) against
his winning. The Utes said nothing
but, instructed by Ouray, took every
bet that was offered, even if it too
their last blanket. The course used by
them was about three miles long, {
level mesa. Wachita was ridden b.
his owner, and the bay 10y son of Sap
avanaro. Tho word was given, anl Tia
horses started amid an antieipatin;
shout of victory from the Navajoes
which quaverrl away into II groan a
they saw their favorite beaten by
neck as they crossed the line But the,
did not give MP. The close race mad
them think that the defeat Of Wachit
was duo to the bad riding hy-his own
er. In the twinkling of an eye he wa
pulled of the horse by dozen hands
and Math-o-kan, n sub-chief of the Nav
aioes, was put on the back of Wachit;
This time the betting was heavier tha
at first, the Utes betting eagerly an
! tho Navaioes desperately. Sapavan'
ro's boy gave the bay his head and h
came across tho line nearly u quarter I
mile ahead of Wachita. Tho Nav
ioes were "husted" and the Utes ricl
They had not only recovered what the
J had before lost, but their tePees wei
filled with blankets aud buffalo robe
/ while each Navaioe was poorer 10y a p
ny. So completely broke up were the
r that the Utes tell with glee how the
/; rode to their homes, some riding doub
and others walking. This incidel
> greatly increased Ouray's influence ov'
his tribe, and caused all of them
5 look up to him as wise man.