The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1881-06-09
a HEROIC HORSE.

In the mountains of California, as
everybody knows, stages are used for
the transportation of passengers and
their Baggage from one point to an
other; and twenty years ago there were
many more in use than there are now;
because since then railroads have been
built, ,and of course people prefer to 90 by
rail-. But. at the time mean, the regu-
lar Stage lines in the mountains were
in full pressure of business, and won
derful was the speed and safety with
which the great vehicles passed over
roads so high and so steep, so narrow
and so curved, that at times to look
above and behind, it seemed as If they
had Just. slid downza a thread of yellow
cotton! The drivers of the stages were
generally very skillful men, They had
driven up and down these terrible de-
clines SO often that they were confident
butanot enough so to be careless. They
depended much, however, upon the
sagacity of the animals they drove, for
upon Their being web strained, sure
footed, strong aud easily managed, the
lives OF all the passengers hung. One
would have supposed for such work the
stage COMPANIES weuld have picked out
the mildest and oldest horses they could
find, that there, should be no possibility
OF their taking fright or getting ugly;
but no! old and wOrn-Out horses would
not dol aTheyl were not, swift enough
nor strong enough to do the work. So
almost every stage had four or six, WELL
kept animals, which made nothing of
galoping up the first half of long hill
ofsrotting dewn at IA great speed,
around curves and over ''Thank We
nlasmss : plunging into the vale eys from
the n1ountain-tops and tossing their
long manesrwith spirit and pride.,,ssss
Strange to say, accidents were not
very common. The 8 turn-outs'' of the
road, often cut into the solid rock and
leaving only foot between coach and
coachsa as they passed, were generally
approached by a. grand, blow of the
horn, to let all teams ON the road know
that the stage was approaching; and if
awagon or coach. was. below it would
hurry up and glide into that place of
safets ,awhile the stage would Whirl BY
with one pair of wheels within twelve
inches of precipice thousand to
twelve hundred feet in depth. at the
bottom of which solid rock or madly,
rushing stream would be it's welcome,
II it should tumble over. Many and
many time passengers have begged
anapleaded tosbe allowed toswalk down
these terrible hills, but almost always
the driver would laugh and say, ''Not
bit of danger, ma am! Eve driven
oVerthis road NOR n six year, and nothin'
never happened to me yit, and / reckon
ma am if you jest set quiet an easy like
we jest slip ter the bottom O. this yere
gulch like creased lightnin'n' That is
the way the drivers would Encourage
tlmld ladies, and | am bound to say
tImid gentlemen, too! Great fat men
who sat on the side next to the ravine
would lean over towards the mountain,
as II they thought that would save the
coach if it should happen to go over the
edge; and when | was only twelve-the
hfst ride | took in that way-I hid my
face and cried, was so frightened. I
had ''just az lives own it as not, If
am grown up! .w
But once III while accidents did hap
pen, and when they did. alas! they were
sure to be sad and often fatal ones.
The one of which I a-a to tell is no fic-
uon of mine. 1t really is bit of his
One morning the stage, with six pas
ssengers and plenty of baggage, began
10 go down a long incline with many
sharp curves in it and many risky places.
lhe four horses were in fine condition
and feeling in very good spirits as they
gentiytrotted along at the regular gait.
One OF these was an especially fine and
well-bred creature. He had been born
IN the beautiful blue grass region of
kentucky, and had blood in his veins
which had come to him from the cele-
prated Arabian horses of the far East.
his name was whistler, and there was
a Jaunty and gay way with him in NOV
lng his thin, well-formed limbs, that
some way reminded one of the bright
ness and cheerfulness implied in mer-
= ,s, Whistle. They had gone down the
null but little way when a large bit of
newspaper, which had been dropped in
I'M tne road, was lifted by the wind and
ploWn straight into the off-leaderS face!