The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1881-06-04
A HEROIC HORSE.

-iiaah 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 go 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 down 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
but not enough SO to be careless. They
depended much, however, upon the
sagacity of the animals they drove, for
upon their being well trained, sure
footed, strong and easily managed, the
lives of all the passengers hung. One
would have supposed for such work the
stage companies would 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 WORKOUT horses would
not do! They 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
gafloping up the first half of long hill
or trotting down at great speed,
around curves and over "Thank We
marms." plllnging into the valleys from
the mountain-tops and tossing their
long names with spirit and pride.
Strange to say, accidents were not
very common. The g turn-outs" of the
road, often cut into the solid rock and
leaving only foot between coach and
coach as they passed, were generally
approached by grand blow of the
horn, to let all teams on the road know
that the stage was approaching; and il
wagon or coach was below it would
hurry up and glide into that place Of
safety, while the stage would whirl by
with one pair of wheels within twelve
inches of a precipice thousand tc
twelve hundred feet in depth. at the
bottom of which solid rock or madly
rushing stream would be its welcome,
If it should tumble over. Many and
many time passengers have begged
and pleaded to be allowed to walk down
these terrible hills, but almost always
the driver would laugh and say, "Not
a bit of danger, ma'am! I've driver
over this road NOR n six year, and nothin
never happened to me git, and l reckon
ma am if you Jest set quiet an easy like
we'll Jest slip ter the bottom o. this yert
gulch like CREASED lightnin'r' That j,
the way the drivers would encourage
timid ladies, and am bound to say
timid gentlemen, too! Great fat mer
who sat on the side next to the ravint
would lean over towards the mountain
as If they thought that would save tn,
coach if it should happen to go over thu
edge; and when was only twelve-th,
first ride l took in that way-I hid m,
face and cried, was so frightened.
had "just as lives" own it as not, If
ann grown up!
But once in while accidents did hap
pen, and when they did, alas! they wer,
sure to be sad and often fatal ones
The one of which am to tell is no fic
ton of mine. 1t really is bit of his
tory.
One morning the stage, with six pas
sengers and plenty of baggage, begal
to go down long incline with man,
sharp curves in it and many risky places
The four horses were in fine condition
and feeling in very good spirits as the
gently trotted along at the regular gait
One of these was an especially fine an,
well-bred creature. He had been borl
in the beautiful bluegrass region Q
Kentucky, and had blood in his vein
which had come to him from the cele
brated Arabian horses of the far East
His name was Whistler, and there wa
jaunty and gay way with him in NOV
ing his thin, welcomed limbs, tina
some way reminded one of the bright
ness and cheerfulness implied in a me.
ry whistle. They had gone down tn
hill but little way when large bit q
newspaper, which had been dropped i
the road. was lifted by the wind an
blown straight into the off-leader's face
He gave spring to one side and pushe
Whistler over, falling on to him, drag
ging the pole-horses, coach, passengers
everything-into space! Down they fell
over and over. crash after crash, erie
and groans echoing up over thos
silent mountain sides, until 1t SCENE