Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1890-11-13
ONLY A MAD STALLION.
BUT HE HAD BLOOD IN HIS EYE AND
MADE THINGS WARM.

"a
In Canaua-A Mad Horse That Had No
Fear of Men, Whips, Halters or Guns.
a College Boy in a Tight Place.
have had several t,isagreeable encoun-
tiers witt vicious horses, but only once was
so unfortunate as to fall in with one pos
sessei by homicidal mania. My escape
was so narrow, and the experience left so
deep an impression upon my mind, that |
have felt ever since an instructive dlstrust
for this most noble of domestic animals.
One autumn, when | was about Is, was
taking IL tramp through the eastern town
ships of QUchec, preparatory to resuminS
work at college. | reached the little village
uf Maybury one day at noon and dropped
into the village inn for luncheon. The
village was in state of excitement over
tragedy which had taken place that very
morning, and which was speedily detailed
to me by every one with whom came in
contact \ boy living on d farm near the
village had been killed in the most horri-
Bile manner by a fine stallion that had gone
suddenly mad. A fierce anger stirred in
my veins as listened to the story, and
asked the inn keeper, who was my inform
ant, what they had done to the brute.
"
noon there's crowd gon' out to ketch
him an tie him up. If he's too bad fur
that-an' if know anything about horses
he's just gone mad, stark mad-why,
they'll have to shoot him off hand to save
their own nccks"
Il wonder # I'll run any risk of meeting
him." | quericd rather unXiously. | had
no weapon but my heavy walking stick,
r,1 | - n iNlpntnl for
the integrity of my neck.
(which way be YOU bound!" inquired
Boniface.
"For Blissyille," answered.
"Oh," said he, "youre all right then.
The horses are fecdin' out yonder to the
no'theast, AMI Blissville lays south"
An UNpLEAsANT MEETING.
1t was with few misgivings that now
resumed my journey
| was soon beyond the cultivated fields,
past the last of the fences had climbed
one of those rocky terraces and made 200
yards across the breezy down when be-
hind low knoll caught sight Of a group
of horses quietly pasturing, and remem-
bered with aqUalm the morning tragedy.
Could this, | asked myself, be the herd
containing that mad stalion
halted and was about to retrace my
steps unoHtrusvcy, in the hope that had
escaped their notice But it was too late.
Two or three Of the animals raised their
heads and looked At me. One in the group
snorted with a peculiar half whinny, at the
sound of which my heart sunk.
Then caught 81 sht of one in the center,
which seemed to he jumping up in the air
off all four feet at once. The next minute
this creature, a great black animal, APP
pcared outside the group, plunginS and
biting at his flank Then, with a short,
dreadful sound, he durtcd toward me. open
mouthed.
Upto this point had stood my ground,
eyeing the brute rcsoutcly, with an APP
pearance Of fenrlessuess that | WAS very
far from feeling. But now | saw that my
only hope, and that desperate one, lay in
flight. | was accounted at college first
rate sprinter, and now ! ran my best The
900 yard. that lay between me and the ter
race bad Just left must have been coy
cred in not luuch more than twenty sec
onde But u, ! reached the brow of the
slope the mad Lrute was close on my heels.
had no time to check myself, and even
less notion TO do so. In fact | fell, and
rolled hr2dlong down, dropping, bruised
and bewildprcl, into II creyice between two
bowlders The next instant | saw the
black mass of my pursuer dashing over me
in Il splendid heap. Before he could turn
and seize ne had rolled further into tho
crcvicc, and found that one Of the rocks
overhung SO as to form Il little narrow
cave, into Which could squeeze myself so
far us to be quite beyond the animals
reach
Never before or since have discovered
so unexpected and proyidential a refuge.
The raving stallion came bounding and
lcapiug up to the very door Of my hurrow,
but ! felt safe. Ne would roll back his
lips lay his cars fiat to his head, spring
straight into the air and shrek through
his wide red nostrils his fury and his chAl-
lenge The latter did not think it incupl-
bent upon me to accept. | waived it in dis
duinfUl silence.
For a time the brute kept up his bound
ings and those strange, proud jcrNing, OF
his head, but at last he actually tried to
stretch his necl; into my burrow and reach
ne with his Gightiul naked teeth.
1t must have been for nearly an hour
that watched the mad creatures antics
from NY den.
was beginning to cast about somewhat
anXiously for way of escape from this
imprisonment when | saw the pasturin8
herd suddenly toss up their heads and then
20 scurrying away across the down. My
adversary saw this, too, and turned his at
tentiOn away from me- | pccrcd lOrth
cautiously, and to my profound relief OBJ
served party of men, several carrying
ropes and halters and others armed with
rifles, approaching the terrace foot. one
man walked Il little ahead of the others
and held out peck measure in which he
shook something, which presume to have
been oats,
THE RESCUE PARTY.
The stallion eyed them sombcrly for an
instant, and then his name rose like crest
and his head went back with shrill cry.
In the sclisume way as he had greeted my
appearance lie bounced into the air twice
or thrice, and then lie dashed upon the
party.
The man with the oats fell back with
wonderful alacrity, and the fellows that
carried haters seemed bent upon cffacing
themselves in the humblest manner posi-
BILE. One tall. gray shifted woodsman
stepped to the front, raised his rifle and
drew a bead upon the approaching fury
while two or three others held their shots
In reserve. There was a moment Of breath
less suspense Then the fine, thin note Of
the woodman's rifle rung out, and the STALL
ion sprung aside with a shrek, and Stun
bled forward upon his knees.
Almost Instantly, however, he recovered
himself and rushed upon his opponents
with undimnished ferocity. | held my
breath He was almost upon the party
now. Then two more rifles flashed from
marksmen standing moveless in their
tracks, and the mad brute rose straight up
Oh his hind legs, and fell over backward,