The southern sentinel. (Winnfield, La.) 1883-1910, 1886-03-26
A GRAND SIGHT.

i
| Wild Steeds.
I had camped near the forks OF the
Platte, and was aroused just at daylight
by footsteps around me. After listen
ing for a moment felt sure that they
were the footsteps of horses. They
seemed to be circling around me-not
at canter-not trot, but at moder-
ate walk. 1t was well that / had Sc
cured my horse in thorough manner,
| for never saw him so excited. He
rugged and pulled at his lariat, stood up
on his hind legs, neighed and snorted
and paved and pranced. and it was his
actions that gave me clew to the iden.
tity of my visitors.
They were wild horses!
Had they been Indian ponies my
| trained horse would have remained as
dumb and silent as post. Indeed, In
dams would not have approached me in
| that manner.
1 remained very quiet. hoping the
horses would remain in sight until day
light should give me a good view of
them. had to wait for full hour, but
when the light grew strong the spectacle
was one to make mans blood Jingle.
The circle had been enlarged until il
was half a mile across, and my little
camp was the center Every horse. and
there were one hundred and twcnty-nine
of them, stood with his head to this GEN.
ter, and soldiers could not have taken
positions on the skirmish line in more
precise order.
pitied my own animal. He stood
with the lariat drawn taut and trembled
in every limb, and he was as wet with
sweat as if had galloped him twenty
miles. / realized how he must long to
break away and join the wild rovers and
forever end his drudgery.
dared not rise to my feet for fear OF
alarming the drove, but, nevertheless. /
had clear view of each horse. Most of
them were magnificent animals. Names
down on their shoulders and tails ON
the grass. They were of various colors,
and they ranged in age from the year.
ling colt up to the veterans probably
twenty years old. The bays FREEDOM
mated, but every color was present.
We had been observing each other
about ten minutes when jet-black stall
lion. who was the leader of the herd,
gave snort, threw up his heels into the
air and broke off at a gallop, followed
by the drove in single file. They ran in
true circle, and they made the circuit
five times before stopping. Then, at
another signal from the leader, the circle
broke and the horses wheeled into
long, single line, or company 'front.'
Troop horses could not have done
better. thought at first the line meant
to charge me, but at signal it made a
left wheel and galloped straight off on
the plain for mile Then it broke, as
sumed the shape of triangle and re-
turned. When the leader was within
pistol-shot he wheeled out and the horses
formed in square, with the four year.
lings in the center. They galloped off
for mile or SO, broke again and re-
turned in two ranks
had an almost irresistible desire to
kill the leader with bullet Indeed, l
reached for my rifle with that intent, but
then came the reflection that it would be
little short of murder Such another
perfect horse l had never seen. His
black coat shone like silk, his limbs and
body were perfection, and he had the
speed and bottom of race-horse. Not
halt was made for a full hour, and
then it was only preparatory to taking a
swift departure. The last maneuver
was circle at a slow trot, and each
horse whinnied in a coaxing manner to
my own steed. Poor Selim! He strug-
gled in the most frantic manner to break
loose, and when finding all his efforts of
no avail he threw himself down ON the
grass and actually groaned his disap-
pointment.
l rose up then and waved my blanket
Instead of rushing of in alright, as I
expected, the leader of the band DELHI
erately approached me few rods and
stood and snorted and paved as if send
ing forth challenge. Then set up
shouting. waved the blanket some more,
and he took his place at the head, formed
the band at company 'front.'" and they
went off at agallop and maintained it as
long as could see the waving line