Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-03-16
THE WILD HORSE WON
Edward Wakefeld's Victory on a
Race Track in Australia.
THE ANIMAL SAVED FROM A HERD
That Had Been Attacked by Ranchmen and
Butchersd to Save Water.
WILD RIDE IN THE EARLY MORNING
WRITTEN FOR THE DISPATCH. ]

Some years ago 1 was on a back station In
Queensland. right on the edge Of the great
Australian desert. 1t was rough place at
the best of times, but in dry season it was
simply purgatory. The heat was over 100
degrees both day and night, and the only
water for 80 miles around was contained in
chain OF mud-holes, which were all that
was left of large river.
A dry season in that part Of Australia
means total absence of rain for nine
months or year, with one wave of heat
following another from the torrid zone, and
weighing down on the parched earth like
molten lead, and licking up every drop OF
moisture, and shriveling every green thing
to dust. Sheep can live for wonderful
time on mere picking of grass as dry as
straw, if they can only get the smallest
drink OF water once day, or even once in
two or three days. When both grass and
water fail, however, the miserable wretches
shrink up to nothing but ragged skeletons,
and totter under the raging sun, and die by
tens of thousands daily. The last severe
drought carried off more than twenty mil
lions of sheep during the summer months
in the colonies of Queensland and New
South Wales alone.
In our case there was still good deal of
burnt up grass left; and the chain of mud
holes still contained enough moisture to keep
the flock alive. But it was only question
OF how many weeks longer we could hold
out, unless tine rain came, OF which not the
slightest sign was visible. And we knew
that there was countless stock wandering
about there in search of feed and water, and
that if they got inside our fences the fate of
our flock was sealed.
AWAKENED BY WILD HORSES.
We were all in our hunks one night-the
manager, four station hands, and myself
trying to get little sleep in spite of the
mosquitoes and other tormentors, when we
were disturbed by rambling noise like
distant thunder.
We all sat up in our blankets and
listened.
"Horses!" exclaimed the manager, tum-
bling out of his bunk, and reaching for his
boots. "1f they get at the holes we're done
for"
In less time than it takes to tell it, we had
all scrambled into our breeches and boots,
and run out into the moonlight. The man
ager and one of the station hands took each
rifle and bag OF cartridges, while the rest
of us took the best weapons we had, our
stockwhips; and in a very few seconds we
were on our own horses and gslloping as
hard as we could ride in the direction of the
waterholes, mile and half or two miles
from the hut
Not word was spoken, for every man of
us knew that that laundering noise was the
tramp of a herd of wild horses; and that if
they reached the water noles before we
could intercept them not only would our
flock die to the last sheep, but we ourselves
would be in imminent danger Of perishing
by the most horrible of deaths.
We had not ridden more than half the
distance to the water-holes when we came
in sight of our dreaded visitors. There
must have been 800 or 900 of them in long,
Struggling mob, not galloping, but running
along in sort of half trot, half canter and
checking their pace every now and then to
browse as they went. They were evidently
making for the water-holes, but were diyi-
ded between hunger and thirst. They were
led by very tall bay horse with name and
tail almost sweeping the ground, and among
them were several other very large animals
standing conspicuously above the general
mob, which looked rather undersized and in
wretched condition.
IT WAS A RACE FOR LIFE.
The moon was beginning to pale before
the first red rays of dawn when we came
into full view of the wild horses, and put on
q terrific spurt. with the object OF heading
.nem oh iroh tne water noles. line moment
my Sd" US 'ne ~hoie mop stopped snort,
iounu !" s'oiS a' us' anu stoou snli-
ung anu snorting ana paving the ground,
Win tnelr long names and tails tourishing
IN lne ar; seeing tnat we Kept on our way
sowaiu S Tue wa ma'er nTies unl9terruptedIY,
npIlse seizeo tnen; Inc
ois nor:e, "sicn nau leu lneir marcn before,
now neigneo i1uoly' anu oroke into iurl-
gus gaiiop' !eiioNea oy al tne rest: II was
a a rue lor llIe, anu rioe we did. The wild
- ~ * liz ~ f. S smu .ney we're aGeus.
sT tou W s"-iop 'oi uHy' 'ose'nef WITHOUT
The big bay horse that led the rnob WAC
sm ttat IL IN. no o LEE Will VII 'ne nooie D1ack
zee ahont loo varGs onart Tha no.
b;o rias fron, he ha,t .toaJ
L;s st;rrr-,s 20 IT, -, 81 n.;.Lt
:iIo rs " =: a,i, auu, "isnou1 enecS
rT Th. ns h;S ~ ~ hrso .,e rS S' uegret' nreu
utiered bideons noise somath;na bo,raan a,
a neigh and the shrek of a Iom.n in
ooony and STAGGERED baodio,o 20 +ha
IT, - asIloaJ s ne
end ~, r,nnn;n sdu ott otes n,n, ILL., hiGhlug
thar tba sast endeayo,a5 W .afa ~ ,G 1asJ
bnt a shot from the station hand who was
riding behind the manaoer instantIv
bronSht il To earth When 9wn ~ tbroa
otbors baS sharsd ,hs sano w. e. III a. .ntJ nb
S;n;dsd into seneral Iines sa haa1e5 G tne nloo
Way and then another. and eveutnaiIv broIe
and scattered in the widest confnsioo Most
of them tnrned ronnd and rnsbe5 noel
,rbanoo +bev h.d oor,a IL -
s.iII ,,o, ar f.. ~ raoob a. ..a et ny
Rv his time bowever Hs sne hnd no, Iii
ahead of them. and by rapid firing with Wit the
=. "a III ;.o...-.