The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1886-01-30
wild Horses.
Detroit Free Press.

had camped near the forks of the
Platte, and was aroused just at daylight
by footsteps around me. After listen
ing for moment | felt sure that they
were the footsteps of horses. They
seemed to be circling around me-not
at canter, not at a trot, but at mod
crate walk. 1t was well that I had Sc
cured my horse in thorough manner,
for I never saw him so excited. He
tugged and pulled at his lariet, stood
up on his hind legs, neighed and snorl-
ed and paved and pranced, and it was
his actions that gave me clew to the
identity of my visitors.
They were wild horses!
Had they been Indian ponies my
trained horse would have remained dumb
and silent as a post. Indeed, Indians
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 spec
tacle was one to make mans blood
tlngle. The circle had been enlarged
until it was half mile across, and my
little camp was the centre. Every horse,
and there were 12o of them, stood with
his head to this centre, and soldiers
could not have taken positions on the
skirmish line in more precise order.
l pitied my own animal. He stood
with the lariet drawn taut and trembled
in every limb, and he was wet with
sweat as if 1 had galloped him twenty
miles. 1 realized how he must long to
break away and join the wild rovers and
forever end his drudgery. 1 dare 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 yearling colt up
to the veterans twenty years old. The
bays predominated, but every color was
present.
We had been observing each other
about ten minutes, when a jet black
stallion, who was the leader of the herd,
gave snort, threw up his heels into the
air and broke off at gallop, followed
by the drove in single file. They ran
in a true circle, and they made the cir
cult five times before stopping. Then,
at another signal from their leader the
circle broke and the horses wheeled in
to long single line or company 'front.'
Troop horses could not have done better.
1 thought at first the line meant to
charge me, but at signal it made lett
wheel and galloped straight off on the
plain for mile. Then it broke, assum-
ed the shape of a triangle and returned.
When the leader was within pistol shot
he wheeled out and the horses formed
in a square, with the four yearlings in
the centre. They galloped off for
mile or so, broke again and returned in
two ranks. / had an almost irresistible
desire to kill the leader with bullet.
Indeed, l reached for my rifle with that
lutCut, DuI lllCl SdlllC lhS lSliSStiOAA Iii0se
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 a race-horse.
Not a halt was made for full hour, and
then it was only preparatory to taking
a swift departure. The last manGuvre
was a 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
disappointment.
l rose up then and waved my blanket.
Instead of rushing off in alright, as |
expected, the leader of the band delib-
erately approached me few rods and
stood and snorted and paved as if send
ing for a challenge. Then l set up
waved the blanket some more,
ed the band at Company head, form.
they went off at gallop anu 80, ...-a
ed it as long as I could see the waving