San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1888-11-05
In the chill of fall an ounce Of flannel Is
worth a pound Of cough drops
CATCHING WILD HORSES.
AN EXCITING OCCUPATION ONCE
FOLLOWED ON THE PLAINS.

Long Race in Which Brains Win the
victory-The Patriarch of the Band Out
witted at Last-The Captives Driven Into
the Corral
Usually the occupation of capturing the
untamed steeds was followed by three men
working together. They used four or five
hardy, feet, well trained horses. When the
section Of the country the wild animals fire.
quented was reached, the first thing was 10
select a suitable location, at the entrance Of
a ravine, generally, for q corral This the
catchers knew how TO construct, using great
quantities of rope, very speedily. Then near
this corral, on the most slightly eminence
one man stationed himself. A distance be-
yond it, on the apparently most natural run
way, another man with one Of the fleetest Of
the saddle horses takes his station. The
work of the most skilled man Of the three
then begins. Mounted upon the picked horse
of the lot, with a pair of field glasses, a
water bag, and a supply of food, he swings
away in the earliest dawn on an easy lope
1t may be ten or twenty miles before his
keen eyes, aided by the glasses with which he
sweeps Tile DTOttu eA JetLSe VI IOlLLo pam,
detect a grazing band Of horses. He ap-
proaches them by the easiest course which
will permit concealment as long as possible,
and then, within a few hundred yards, he
dashes into sight and the sport is begun.
The affrighted animals stand for an in
slant, the morning breeze tanning their lux
urant names and tails. They snort in alarm,
turn and trot off, at first, and then, as 1t is
apparent this strange creature is pursuing,
break into a run. Itts now that the race is
to both the swift and the enduring. The
trained horse, on which the man IS astride,
knows his part of the work and he does it in
diligently. With head well down, swinging
out on long, swift lope, he follows the fee
ing band They run madly, becoming more
and more affrighted as they perceive that
they are indeed pursued The first wild burst
of speed carries them far in advance, but
not out of sight By dexterous engineering
the rider and horse behind shorten the dis
lance as much as possible. The band ahead
are to be kept on the move.
Mile after mile is rapidly covered. The
sun comes up hot and scorching in the cloud
less sky. But there is no stop for a restful
Craze, nor opportunity for drink from a
chance stream. The fright of the wild horses
has grown into veritable terror. They throw
bits of foam from their mouths. They are
worried, half crazed by this merciless, con-
tinuous, unrelenting pursuit But the man
behind has rested his horse at every oppor-
tunity. Whenever there was u chance, his
faithful animal has been given a nibbls at
the succulent grass and had a sup from a
spring or little stream. Ridden though he is,
the tough and experienced plains pony is
fresher than the fleeing equines ahead. They
now show signs of the greatest perturbation.
Their stomachs are empty, their wind is
BLOWN" their tongues are dry. But fear
makes them half unconscious of these suffer
ings, although they are gradually wearing
under them At length, when they have gone
forty or fifty or perhaps sixty miles, the pa
trarch begins to run in an eccentric way.
He is not az sure Of his course as he was. He
wheels and turns and then goes ahead again,
but with uncertainty.
They drop out of sight for a moment be-
hind ridge The ttallion, his nostrils dilat-
ed and quivering and his eyes flashing, makes
q sudden run, and in another moment, with
his band OF faithful spouses, he is galloping
Jack over the track he has come Now is
the race in earnest and to the bitter end.
The nervy, garny, swift horse behind knows
that his energies have been saved for the task
that is yet before him. As he feels the spur
he springs ahead with the racing blood
ahame in his veins. It is a terrific chase.
New terror at this extraordinary, this IN
looked for denouement of what the fleeing
animals ahead had thought in their brute in
stinct was a successful ruse to throw the pur-
suer off the track, gives them desperate
strength, too; but they are worn and fretted
and starved and burning with thirst. They
run for their lives Nearer, mile after mile,
they approach the starting place. The sun
is ablaze after monday, but still the hot race
goes OIL
The man left behind on the eminence is
sweeping the plains with his powerful glasses,
He ul.s watched an hour, perhaps two, or
even three. At last his range of vision be-
comes conferred upon something away in the
distance. He trains the glasses intently until
-, i--% L~-~nn asA-S-Ahind the rvcn.aa ami