Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-08-06
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 whom a young man, and has ever since been rowing about in the far Southwest, mostly in Western Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. He is a capital story-teller, has a great stock of adventures, and for several weeks he has spent many of his evenings in giv- 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 partners, "jaygers" Gaguars), bears and Mexican bandits. But some of Starbuck's adventures were not of this common variety; they had spice of novelty.
 Half a 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 ill 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.
 Wal, boys," replied Darius, "the jayger and the yaller bear sometimes turns loose on a man in them parts. But the beast that came the highest finishin' me up and the one I got to dread most of all, was a 'rogue.'"
 "A rogue? Whats that?" we asked.
 "A rogue hoss. That's a stallion that has fit with others and has got driv outen the herd. For out that way, there ara or used to be big herds Of wild hosses, and every herd has head-hoss that rules over that partic- ular drove, and runs out every thing that he takes q notion agin
 ''There were awful fights sometimes, between rival head-hosses. At times ons would kill the other outright; and they were often badly scarred 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. h. stead of ranging openly on the plains, he would turk in the timber near the lNrnalrS on1 vi like beast of prey than hoss.
 "The first rogue ever fell in with, was on one of the upper tributaries of the Rio Grande. I was on my way across the country to Santa Fe, and had camped alone one afternoon, in & belt of cottonwood which extende d for mile or more along the water course. l 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 a fire to make tea. l was stopping over, and in the very act, think, of striking the match, when I heard a crash in the timber and had just time to jump up and face about, when l saw magnifi- cent great calico-colored hoss rushing upon me, not twenty paces away, com- ing at full spring! A moro 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 mane rose mp, like hedge-row along his craned- out neck.
 '1 took one look at him, and then jumped for my rife which I had set up against tree few steps away But before could reach it, the hoss was so close upon me that had to change nv course and run for another tree. I thought could dodge away from him; but nevei saw a hoss so quick-mo- tloned before or since! His nose was reaching round that cottonwood trunk for me by the time I got behind it! I ran for another, and he almost nabbed me before got to 1t!
 "Ihere was no other tree beyond one within fifty or sixty feet; but had to run again, and before I could get to tree he was down on mo with a wicked squeal, and grabbed me by the shoulder like tiger, blowing his foam all over mel In an instant I was twiched off my feet, and dragged along through the brush and grass. Never in my life have I experienced g. moment of such complete helplessness and terror. I was as powerless as If g. lion bad seized upon me. ::
 ''For hundred yards, think, I was,