Sharp County record., 1888-08-09
A ROGUE" HORSE.
An Adventure with a Savage and
Dangerous Animal.

A few weeks ago a rare piece of good
fortune happened TO the boys of the
country town where the writer resides,
in the return home, after an absence
of many years, of quaint Old char
acter named Darius Starbuck, who left
the place when young man, and has
ever since been rowing about in the far
Southwest, mostly in Western Texas,
New Mexico and Arizona. He is q
capital story-teller, has a great stock
of adventures, and for several weeks he
has spent many Of his evenings in Civ
ing some of his experiences while he
has been absent from his native town.
The most of his stories are accounts
of adventures with the Apaches and
with panthers, 'jaygers' Gaguars),
bears and Mexican bandits But some
of Starbuck's adventures were not of
this common variety; they had a spice
of novelty,
Half dozen of us had been listen
ing to him one evening recently, when
some one Of the party inquired which
he considered the most dangerous wild
animal in the region where he had
lived, or what creature he'stOOd most
in dread Of, when out alone on the
plains or among the mountains.
oval, boys" replied Darius, "the
jayger and the yaller bear sometimes
turns loose on man in them parts.
But thesbeast that tame the highest
finishin' me up and the one | got to
dread most Of all, was rogue,
"a rogue? What's that?" we asked.
"a rogue boss. That's stallion
that has fit with others and has got
driv Outen the herd. For out that
way, there are or used to be big herds
of wild hosses, and every herd has a
head-hoss that rules over that partic-
ular drove, and runs out every thing
that he takes a notion agin.
"There were awful fights sometimes,
between rival head-hOsses. At times
one would kill the other outright;
and they were often badly SCARED up
from fighting. The defeated one, if
he wasn't killed, had to get out and
try his luck in some other herd, and if
he got whipped out repeatedly, he was
Obliged to live alone by himself-an
Outcast.
THAT soured his temper. He would
grow sulky, mOrose and sly, and some
times got savage and appeared to hate
the sight of every living thing, In
stead of ranging openly on the plains
he would lurk in the timber near the
creeks and rivers. and become more
like a beast of prey than hoss.
1.-The first rogue | ever fell in with,
was on one of the upper tributaries OF
the Rio Grande. l was on my way
across the country to Santa Fe, and
had camped alone one afternoon in
q belt of cottonwood which eXtended d
for mile or more along the water
course. | was riding, at that time,
very GOOD saddle hOss, and after hob
bling him out, l got water from the
creek and set about kindling fire to
make tea. | was STOPPING over, and
in the very act, think, OF striking the
match. when | heard crash in the
timber and had just time to Jump up
and face about, when | saw magnll-
cent great calicO-colOrod hOss rushing
upon me, not twenty PAGES away, COM
ing at full spring! A more ferocious-
looking animal it would be difficult to
imagine! His eyes were bloodshot, his
ears laid back, his long, yellow teeth
exposed. while his heavy name rose
mn. like a hedge-rOw along his craned-
out neck.
81 took one look at him, and then
Jumped for my rife which l had set up
against tree few steps away. But
before | could reach it, the hoss was so
close upon me that had to change my
course and run for another tree. L
thought could dodge away from him;
but | never saw hoss so quick-mO-
toned before or since! His nose was
reaching round that cottonwood trunk
for me by the time l got behind it! l
ran for another, and he almost nabbed
me before got to it!
There was no other tree beyond
one within fifty or sixty feet; but | had
to run again, and before | could get tc
tree. he was down on me with a
wicked squeal, and grabbed me by the
Haouider like tiger, blowing his foam
eyAruupei In an instant | was
-