Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1888-11-08

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grass or sup of water. They have Sc
the course in a generally straightawa!
direction. That course they must b.
kept upon.
Mile after mile is rapidly covered
The sun comes up hot and scorching il
the cloudless sky. But there is no stoI
for reJtful Craze. nor opportunity fol
drink from chance stream. Ii the
band ahead, with tails streaming anC
nostrils dilated. divert from the gener-
al direction to sweep around the base
of low ridge, the wary horseman and
his equally wise animal take the short
err and easier way. cutting the sequent
as it were, but always ever in sight and
always coming, coming. The fright OF
the wild horses has grown into verita.
bic terror. They throw bits of foam
from their mouths. They are worried.
half crazed by this mercileSs, continu-
GUS, unrelenting pursuit. But the man
behind knows that they will soon do
something that is, perhaps, as strange sd
their peculiar habits of community re-
| lation. He has rested his horse at
every opportunity. Whenever there
was a chance, his faithful animal has
been given a nibble at the succulent
grass and had sup from 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 sufferings,
although they are gradually wearing
under them. At length. when they
have gone forty or fifty or perhaps six
ty miles, the patriarch 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 ahead again, but
with uncertainty.
1t is this the shrewd man and shrewd
pony knew would happen. They drop
out of sight for moment behind the
ridge. The stallion, his nOstrils di-
lated and quivering and his eyes flash
ing, 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, gamy,
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 af1ame in his veins. 1t is ter
rife chase. New terror at this extra
ordinary, this unlocked for denOue-
ment of what the fleeing animals ahead
had thought in their brute instinct
was a successful ruse to throw the pur
suer off the track, gives them desper-
ate strength, too; but they are worn
and fretted and starved and burning
with thist. They run for their lives.
Nearer, mile after mile they approach
the starting place. The sun is ablaze
aften MONDAY, but still the hot race
goes on. Now faithful, plucky, speedy
pony, bearing a saddle-worn but
grimly determined man, do your best.
Your strong legs will fail, sinewy as
they are. The faster you run the
quicker your days terrible effort is
over
The man left behind on the eminence
is sweeping the plains with mis- power
full glasses. He has watched an hour.
perhaps two, or even three. At last
his range of vision becomes conferred
upon something away in the distance.
1t may be bunch of antelope. Itmay
be band of wild horses that are run
ming for play. But as he watches
closer he discernS it is not sport that
causes that moving group of specks.
He trains the glasses intently until at
last he can see behind the running ami
mails solitary horse, and that horse
has rider. He is in the saddle with
a bound. calls to another horse grazing
near. and away they fly towards this
approaching cavalcade. He runs the
horses as swiftly as he can, and at
length spies plainly, perhaps two or
three miles away, the fleeing bunch.
and behind them in hot chase the gal
liant horse and rider. A signal tells
him he too has been seen, and then,
Selling the Typographical features of
the intervening space, he skulks swiftly
behind the ridges and elevations to
hn iS
which requires rare judgment of the
speed of the running band, and deft
choice of the friendly ridges which he
must pursue, keeping out of sight of
the worn and terrorized animals whose
attention should not be detracted from
the relentless pursuer behind. The
trick, though, is well done. and while
the wary but still dauntless stallion
and his following mares sweep around
the base of an elevation the tired, gamy
pony and the two fresh horses and men
meet. As quickly as saddles can be
transferred the gallant horse that has
made run of seventy-five, eighty-five,
or possibly ninety miles is free and
rolling on the grass, and the iron-mus-
cled man who beStrOde him is on an
other fleet and fresh horse and again
hot after the quarry. 1t has been hui
man brain against horse brain. The
achievements have thus far won the
day.
Now follows the most skillful ma
neuvering. The terrorized band can
not run much farther. They have
almost exhausted even their well-nigh
tireless vitality. They again became