The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1888-03-02

Il
again our horse got the worst Of it.
He was headstroug. nigh-strung
beast, and his temper was now up.
When he wheeled the third time he
| came back with rush, screaming out
in his anger. The sorrel turned end
for end like flash to use his heels, but
our champion lodged the kicks and
seized him by the shoulder with his
| teeth. There was a terrific struggle
before the hold was broken, and then
they backed into each other and kicked
with all fury for few seconds. Every
hoof hit something solid, but the iron
shoes of our horse scored point in his
favor. When they separated we could
see that the sorrel had been badly used,
| especially about the legs.
| When the horses wheeled for the
third time, both were bent on mischief
As they came together they reared up
like dogs and struck at each other, and
for five minutes they were scarcely off
their hind feet. Some hard blows were
exchanged. and our horse had the best
of the round. Indeed, when the sorrel
wheeled and ran away he had his head
down and he seemed to acknowledge
defeat. He ran off about twenty rods
before wheeling, and as he stood for a
moment Hooked at him through field
glass which one of the men handed me.
His ears lay fat, his eyes looked blood
shot. and there was bloody foam on his
lips He had been severely handled,
but was by no means defeated. In
| deed, he had run away for the moment
to adopt new tactics. When he moved
up again he was the picture of ferocity.
He came at full speed, reared, and
struck right and left, and the second
| blow Knocked our horse flat on the
| ground. 1t was Knockout blow.
The victor stood over him for mo-
ment, watching for movement, but
as none was made he joined the herd,
and all went off at gallop. 1t was
five minutes before our horse staggered
| to his feet, and he wanted no more
| fighting. He had three bad bites about
the shoulders, and his legs were
skinned in a dozen places, and it was a
week before he got his spirit back.
Two or three times during the next
ten days I saw lone wild horses, and
one of the old hunters with us was
asked for an explanation. He said
they were "rogues "-stallions which
| had been driven from the herd in dis
grace-and that they were always con-
sidered ugly and dangerous. He had
known of them attacking a single
horseman, but the presence of large
party like ours would of course brighten
them off. Two days after this ex-
PLANTATION we were strung out for three
miles along the river, on the march
and survey. Something was lost by
an officer, and one of the troopers was
sent back to recover it. Ten minutes
later the article supposed to be lost
was found in one of the ambulances,
and l was sent back to notify the
trooper. He had galloped back to
| camp, distance of two miles, and
was searching around on foot when ]
arrived in sight. l was about to fire a
shot to attract his attention, when
from the cottonwood grove beyond the
camp a horse came charging out. He
was a rogue, and bent on mischief.
The soldiers horse was grazing, and
the soldier had his eyes on the ground,
and was SO astonished by the sudden
charge of the rogue that I made no
move to stop him or to warn the
trooper. Indeed, warning could
have hardly reached him in time. His
back was to the approaching horse,
and the rogue seized him in his teeth
| by hold between the shoulders and
dragged him twenty rods before fling
ing him to one side. Then he started
for the cavalry horse, which stood
with head up facing him, and got my
revolver out and spurred forward.
l was yet quarter of mile away
when the rogue reached his second
victim. He ran at full speed,
with ears back and lips parted te
show his teeth, and the sight was toe
much for the domestic animal. HI
was on the point of turning to fly
when the other collided with him.
1t was as if a locomotive had struck
him. He went down in heap and
rolled over and over four or five times
before he brought up while the rogue
took a half circle to bear down upor
the trooper again. The man was or
his feet and limping of, but he would
have been goner had ! been farther
away. rode across the rogue's path
and opened fire on him, and after
shaking his head in an ugly way he
galloped into the grove and disap-
peared. The troopers horse did moi
seem to have suffered any by the
shock, but soon after noon laid down
and died. The man was actually cry.
ing when 1 rode up to him, although
he had taken hand in several Indian
fights and was reputed a brave fell
low. The danger had come upon hin
so suddenly as to overcome his nerves
The horses teeth had not broken the
skin through his thick clothing, ant
he did not have bruise to show, blu
such was the sudden shock that he
was on the sick list for two weeks.
We were within two days ride O
the Bonita, and had been in camp two
or three days, when one of the hunter:
rode in just before dark with some
game and announced that herd of a
least fifteen hundred wild horses were
grazing about three miles east of us
This was on the opposite side of the
Pecos, which just here spread out
over rocky ledge, and was tive
hundred feet wide and about foo
deep. Below our camp was an ole
grove with many dead trees in it. I
was here we got our wood. In al
other directions the ground was open
We had about twelve tents in camp
| j. I