Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1891-08-14

but it was SO spirited that he did not care
to ride it on u night chase. So a neighbor
offered to exchange with him, giving a
mule instead. All the young men in the
country told him the mule was a famous
hunter, and that it would follow the
hounds through fire and water, and that
all he had to do was to hang on. But on
the evening of the meet, when he gathered
at the edge Of the wood, he concluded that
the mule affair was their way of playing a
joke on the city young man.
That mule stood there by the fence with
his head down, his halter loose and moth
ing to keep him from running away in the
excitement of that time Of preparation"
says Mr.. Winde. II thought it was a joke,
but got down from the spirited horse and
got ready to mount the mule, thinking if
they wanted a little fun with me they
might have it; they had earned it.
SLOW WORE.
"'Now, you can ride, can you2' asked the
mules owner.
"sWell, l guess I can ride that mule I
answered.
"sWhen he gets ready to run don't you
try to hold him-just let him 20 and hang
on
II said All right and got up on the
beast, and he never stirred a muscle. There
were about twenty of us, and there must
have been a hundred hounds. Some of
them were old fellows and knew their bust
ness and some were younger and some of
them were just taking their first lesson in
hunting. We started off after a bit, the
mule in the rear and me kicking him
with my heels and trying to get him to be
respectable. and failing constantly. The
first mile or two was awful work. wore
myself out betting and humping that mule,
but he wouldn't 60 faster than a lazy trot.
And that troll 1t loosened every joint in
my body. 1t made me bite my tongue, and
it bruised me so quickly I had no time to
blister.
Presently one of the young dogs struck
an old scent, and in his ineXperience began
to bay hopefully. Still the mule stumbled
on. Then a better dog thought he smelled
something promising, and he started an
alarm, which all the younger ones swelled
at once to that plaintive, beseeching roar
of foxhounds while ranging. Not a sign
from the mule. But all of a sudden there
was that eager, short, agonized yelp of the
old hounds as they pulled away from the
pack and cut out the pace on a perfectly
fresh trail.
~AAAN - cAC1u / 14AlC ul0uU huOW "udU
was the matter l hope to die. He unlim-
bered himself and pric ;el up first one and
then the other of tho,r awfully long ears:
he changed his trot to a gallop and pushed
right up through the band of we'll mount
ed hunters, going straight to the front and
just simply stabbing the earth with his
little hoofs in an effort to overtake the
hounds.
FAST RIDING.
"cDon't try to hold h1m-just hang on
cried my friend, as I shot past him; and I
gave myself up to that task as we'll as I
could, for he had me pretty well frightened.
On he went through the woods, just miss
ing a great sycamore on one side and a
rock on the other, crashing into and over a
heap of brush or the top of a fallen tree,
plunging into wide creeks and leaping over
narrow ones, till l thought my end was
come. But I couldn't let go.
my only hope was that he would let up
after a while and give me a chance to get
away. One-half of my shoe was ripped
from my foot, and the half of my coat had
gone to keep it company. My hands and
face were scratched and bleeding, but l led
the chase and led it easily.
"Finally we came to a high rail fence
ten rails highland l said to myself, Now
I have got him. But l hadn't. He just
kept on galloping right at that fence, but
he seemed to be studying it, and feeling
the bits as if they didn't set just right. l
pulled away harder than ever, for l felt if
he undertook to jump that fence he would
kill himself and me too. But he didn't try
to go over it,; he just went through it. He
went right at it with a rush, threw his
forelegs high enough to get them over the
top-and that settled the fence. Down it
came-mule, man and all-and be clam
bered out and went on without losing q
minute.
'"That was a cotton field. 1t was rank
and tall, and the balls whipped me in the
face, and the strong stalks grasped my
clothes and tore them, but l couldn't get
away, and just sawed at the bits and prayed
for a dead wall or a pitfall or a stroke of
lightning. Out on the farther side of the
field the fence was down and we went out
all right.
IN AT THE FINISH.
"There was the creek, and the hounds
were just creeping up the further bank. 1t
was high and steep. l thought this would
end it, but it didn't. That mule went at 1t
frantically. He leaped from the high bank
as if he were a sort Of winged steed, and
landed right in the middle of the water.
But he didn't waste a minute. He clam
bered up the farther bank and shot away
| again after them-and the nearest horse
men were twenty rods away looking for a
ford.
''There were the hounds, just over a lit
tie hill not forty rods away, and they had
the fox. If the mule had been frantic be-
fore he was mad now He fairly few, and
| uttered that unearthly cry-the only one
| permitted to the hybrid brute. Up over
the knoll, through a little patch of timber
called the grape field, down
T"But that was the end of my ride. One
of the grapevines hung low between two
trees, and the mule darted under it. 1t
caught me about the body, and away went
that animal, right up to the hounds.
shot high up into the air on that vine, then
swung away back, and finally managed to
get to the ground without injury. The
other fellows galloped past and around me,
and leaped from their horses about the fox.
81 stumbled down there as well as ]
could, and there stood that mule, his head
down, his ears dropping, his eyes closed,
and the whole attitude that Of eternal re.
pose.n-Chicago Herald