The Somerset reporter., 1885-07-29
n North CdrOtiniun MdU Rider.
BY cnAnLKs DUDLEY wAnNgn.

The mail rider was lean, salow, slDewy
man, mounted on sorry sorfe nag, who
proved, however TO have blood 10 her, and
to be a fast walker and full Of endurance.
The mail-rider was tacturn, natural hab.
it for a man who rides alone the year round
over a lonely road, and has nothing what
ever TO think of. He had been in the war
sixteen months, In Hugh Whites regiment,
reckon you've beerd Of hmi
"Confederater
(which"
"was he on the Union or Confederate
sides'
oh, Union"
"Whichr'
"Did you have any fghtlngf
Mot reg'lar.'
"What did you dor
(Which"
"What did you do in Hugh Whites reg
imeul?'
"Oh, just cayorted round the noun
tains."
you lived on the country"
| (Which"
picked up what you could find, corn,
| bacon, borsesy'
That's about so. Didn't make much
difference which side was round, the coun-
try got cleaned out"
"Plunder seems to have been Tie Oh
ject?"
(Which"
"You got a living out of the farmers?'
"You bet"
Our friend and guide seemed to have
been jayhaaker and mountain marauder
on the right side. His attachment to
the word (Which" prevented any lively
/ flow of conversation, and there seemed to
be only two trains of ideas running IN his
mind one was the subject of horses and
saddles, and the other was the danger OF
the ford we were coming to, and he exhib-
| tied good deal OF ingenuity in eDdeavor-
| ing to excite our alarm. He returned 10
the ford from every other conversat iohal
excursion, and after every silence. 81 do
knows there's any great danger; not If
/ you know the ford. Folks is carried away
there. The Toe gifts up sudden. There's
! been right smart rain lately. Ii you're
| afraid, you can get set over in dugout,
| and III take your horses across. Mebbe
you're used to fording? It's pretty bad
ford for them as don't know it. But you'll
get along, If you mind your eye. There's
some rocks you'll have to look out for.
But you'll be all right, if you follow me-
Not being very successful IN raising an
interest in the dangers of his ford, al
though he could hot forego INDUCING Il
|
strangers uncomfortable, he finally turned
| his attention to trade. "Thls boss of
nine" he said, sis just the kins: of brute
beast you want for this country. Your
hosses is too heavy. How'll you swap for
that one of yournI' The reiterated asser-
| ton that the horses were not ours. tat
they were hired, made little impression on
him. All the way to Burnsville he kept
recurring % the subject of trade. The
! instinct of swap" was strong in HIN.
When we me; u yoke of steers, he turned
round and banteret the owner for trade.
| Our saddles took his fancy. They were of
the army pattern, aud he allowed that one
of hem would just suit him. lie rode
small fiat English pad, across which was
| flung the United States mail pouch, appar-
| emily empty. He dweit upon the fact that
| his saddle YVES new and ours were old, and
the advantages that would accape to US
| from the exchange. He didn't care If they
had been through the war, as they had, for
! he faucied AN army saddle. The Friend
answered for himself that the saddle he
rode belonged to distinguished | on
general, and had a bullet in it that was put
there by careless Confederate in the first
battle Of Bull Run, and the owner would
not part with it for money. But the mail
| rider said he didn't mind that. He would
| not mind swapping his new saddle for my
old one ana the rubber coat and legglns.
| Long before we reached the lord we
thought we would like to swap The guide,
even at the risk OF drowning. The ford
was passed, in due time, with no incon-
venieuce save that of wet feet, for the
stream was breast high to the horses, but
being broad ana swift and full Of sunken
rocks and slippery stones and the cross
ing tortuous, it is not ford 10 be COM
mended There is a curious deusion that
rider has in crossing a swift broad
stream 1t is that he is rapidly drifting
up stream, while in fact the tendency OF
the horse is to go with the current.-An-
| aust atlantic.