Fairhaven herald. [volume] (Fairhaven, Wash.) 1890-????, 1891-08-22
A Chicago Man Has Unique Expert.
ence In the Annals of Fox Hunting by
Night-His Beast Was Among the First
in at the Finish-He Came Later.

but it was so spirited that he did not care
to ride it on a 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
ali 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. 81 thought it was joke,
but got down from the spirited horse and
got ready to mount the mule, thinking il
they wanted little fun with me they
might have it; they had earned it.
SLOW WORK.
"'Now, you can ride, can your asked the
mules owner.
"'Well, guess l can ride that mule
answered.
"'When he gets ready to run don't you
try to hold him-just let him 90 and hang
on
81 said All right, and got up on the
beast, and he never stirred muscle. There
were about twenty of us, and there must
have been 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 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 go faster than lazy trot
/ And that troll 1t loosened every joint in
my body. 1t made me bite my tongue, and
| it bruised me so quickly | 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 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 n 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
"And If that old mule didn't know what
was the matter hope to die. He unlim-
bered himself and prcked up first one and
| then the other of those awfully long ears;
| he changed his trot to gallop and pushed
right up through the band Of well 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.
/ Don't try to hold him-just hang on,
cried my friend, as | shot past him. and
gave myself up to that task as well as
could. for he had me pretty well frightened.
On he went through the woods, just miss
ing 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 / thought my end was
come. But couldn't let go.
my only hope was that he would let up
after a while and give me 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 | led
the chase and led it easily
FINALLY we came TO high rail fence
ten rails Highland said to myself, Now
/ have got him. But hadn't. He Just
kept on galloping right at that fence, but
he seemed ~ be studying it, and feeling
the bits as if they didn't set just right.
pulled away harder than ever for felt If
he undertook TO jump that fence he would
kill himself and me too. But he didn't try
to 20 over 1t; he just went through it. He
went right at 1t 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 he clam
bered out and went on without losing a
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 couldn't get
away, and just sawed at the bits and prayed
for dead wall or a pitfall or 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 thought this would
end 1t, but it didn't. That mule went at it
frantically. He leaped from the high bank
landed right in the middle of abe water
But be 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 lit
tie hill not forty rods away, and they had
the fox. II the mule had been frantic be
fore he was mad now He fairly flew, and
uttered that unearthly cry-the only one
permitted to the hybrid brute Up over
the knoll, through little patch Of timber
called the grape field, down
But that was the end Of my ride One
Of the grapevines hung low between two
trees, and the mule darted under it. II
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 70
get to the ground without injury. The
other fellows galloped past and around me
and leaped from their horses about the fox
II stumbled down there as well as
could, and there stood that mule, his head
down, bis ears dropping, his eyes closed
and the whole attitude that Of eternal re
pose. Chicago Herald