The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1888-10-27
4 Race For q Bride.

The following is a very graphic and
pleasing account Of a wedding race
among the Huzarehs, and the devices
of the bride to be captured only by the
man that she loved:
The suitors of the maiden, nine in
number, appear in the field, all n
armed, but mounted on the best horses
they can procure; while the bride her.
self, mounted on a beautiful Turkoman
stallion, surrounded by her relations,
anxiously surveys the group OF lovers
The conditions of the bridal a are
these: The maiden has a certain start
ciyen. which she avails herself OF to
gain a sufficient distance from the
crowd to enable her to manage her
steed with freedom, &C as to assist in
his pursuit the sutton whom she pre-
fers. On a signal from the father all
the horsemen gallop after the fair one,
and whichever first succeeds in encir-
cling her waist with his arm, no mat
ter whether d~isagreeable or to her
choice, is entitled to claim her as his
wife. After the usual delays incident
upon such interesting occasions, the
maiden quits the circle of her relations
and putting her steed into a hand gal
lop darts into the open plain. When
satisfied with her position she turns
round to the impatient youths and
stretches out her arms toward them as
if to WOO their approach. This is the
moment for giving the signal to COM
mence the chase, and each of the i'm
patient youths, dashing his pointed
heels into his courser's sides, darts
like the unhooded hawk in pursuit of
the fugitive dove. The savannah was
extensive-fully twelve miles long and
three in width-and as the horsemen
sped across the plain the favored lover
soon became apparent by the efforts of
the maiden to avoid all the others who
might approach her. At length, after
nearly two hours racing, the number
Of pursuers is reduced to four, who are
all together and gradually gaining on
the pursued; with them is the favorite,
but alas !! his horse suddenly fails in
his speed, and as she anxiously turns
her head she perceives with dismay
the hapless position of her lover.
Each of the more fortunate leaders,
eager with anticipated triumph, bends
his head on his horses nan and
shouts at the top of his voice, ~ come,
my peri Pm your lover" But she,
making a sudden turn and flashing her
horse almost to fury, darts across their
path and makes for that part of the
plain where her lover is vainly en-
deavoring to goad on his weary s'eed.
The three others instantly checked
their course, but in the hurry to turn
back two of the horses are dashed furi-
ously against each other, SO that both
steeds and riders roll over on the
plain. The maiden laughed, for she
we'll knew she could elude the single
horseman, and few to the point where
her lover was. But her only pursuer
was rarely mounted and not so easily
shaken off. Making a last and des-
perate effort he dashed alongside the
maiden and stretching ont his arm al
most won the unwilling prize; but
she, bending her head on her horses
neck, eluded his grasp and wheeled off
again. Ere the discOmfitted horseman
could again approach her her lovers
arm was around her waist, and amid
the shouts Of the spectators they
turned toward the fort.-Er.
From the doggerel specimens of
poetry that we have read now and
then in some of our country newspa-