Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-10-31
CATCHING WILD HORSES.
AN EXCITING OCCUPATION ONCE
FOLLOWED ON THE PLAINS.

FOLLOWED ON THE PLAINS. |
A Long Race in Which Brains Win the
victory-1he 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, fleet, well trained horses. When the
section of the country the wild animals fire.
quented was reached, the first thing was to
select a suitable location, at the entrance of
a ravine generally, for a corral This the
carchers 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 feetest 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, |
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 ewes, aided by the glasses with which he |
sweeps the broad expanse Of rolling plain, |
detect grazing band of horses. He ap-
prnaches 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
uriant names and tails Theys in alarm,
| turn and trot off, at first, and then, as it is
| apparent this strange creature is pursuing
break into run. lids 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
telligently With head well down, swinging
out on long, swift lope, he follows the fee
ing band. They run mady, 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 baud ahead
are to be kept on tine 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 vertable 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 a chance, his
faithful animal has been given a nibble at
the succulent grass and had a sup from
spring or little stream. Ridden though be 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. Atlength, when they have gone
forty or fifty or perhaps sixty miles, the pa
triarch begins to run in an eccentric way.
He is not as sure of his course as he was. He
wheels and turns and then goes ahe->i again,
but with uncertainty.
They drop out of sight for moment be
hind a ridge. The stallion, his nostrils dilat-
ed and quivering and his eyes flashing makes
a sudden run, and in another moment, with
his band of faithful spouses, he is galloping
back over the track he has come. Now is
the race in earnest and to the bitter end
The nervy, gany, swift horse behind knows
that his energies have been saved for the task
that is vet before him. As he feels the spur
he springs ahead with the racing blood
aflame in his veins. 1t is 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 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 ahlaze after MONDAY, but still the hot race
goes on.
The man left behind on the erninence is
sweeping the plains with his powerful glasses.
He has watched al hour, perhaps two, or
! even three. At last his range of vision be
comes conferred upon something away in the
distance lie trains the glasses intently until
at last he can see behind the running ami
mails q solitary horse, ard that horse has a
rider. He is in the saddle with n bound,
: calls to another horse grazing near, and
= away they fly towards this approaching cav
alcade He runs the horses as swiftly as he
: can, and ct length spies plainly, perhaps two
= or three miles away, the fleeing hunch, and
u and rider. signal tells him be too has
e been seen, and then, seizing the Topographic
= cal features of the intervening space, be
- skulks swiftly behind the ridges and eleva-
tions to cross the course The trick is well
done, and while the wary but still dauntisss
stallion and his following mares sweep
around tine base of an elevation the tired
gany pony and the two fresh horses and men
! A 4 H.
u ferred the gallant horse that has made run
), Of seventy-fve, eighty-fve, or possibly
n ninety miles is free and rolling OF the grass
d and the iron rnuscled man who best-odo hir
10 is on another feet and fresh horse and again
n no: after tie quarry.
y Now foilowst the most skillful rnaneuverins
IS The te-rorized band cannot run much farther
i They have almost exhausted even their vel
IS nith tireless vitality They again becomt
r. confused and resort to their last device
'r Their aight2wey tactics are deserted enc
IF they commence running in circle st frs
m it Is two miles i'll diameter. The pursue
in makes his circle in little less space. TIL
Of diameter reduces TO a mile Gradually TIL
y grows less. The poor, painting, exhausted
IT creatures stagger around, determined to di
in what they think is their only means o
escape They have entirely lost their reason
If such it might be called. Narrower en-
narrower becomes their course, until at last
es with the sun sinking low IN the west, the
8: stand painting, weaving back and forth, cor
Is ouered for the time. They may have ru
n 100 miles The three men close III on ther
in and skillfuly drive them toward the cora
ne Among them and in their lead now has com
a strange saddleless horse; but they ere to
ID bewildered to know it. This horse slowl
es marks the course guided by the men driving
Or aud az last leads the prisoners within IL
e. half concealed seclusion. -Co.or1do Co
~ Chicago Tribune.
er -----
ch The Root of the Trouble.
II "Robert," said the father sternly, don
let me ever hear of your going to the clos,
again for cake"
at Wasn't my fault. pa
n, s.Nnt yOilr faultt'