The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1893-10-12
A WILD RACE FOR LIFE.
PURSUED BY A MAN HORSE-THRILLl

PURSUED BY MAN HoRsE-THRILLING
RIDE OF RANCHMAN.
A Nebraska stockman named Thomp
gon, owning the Happy Jack cattle
ranch, few days ago was the hero OF
a most startling adventure, in which
he barely escaped with his life.
Thompson was on his way to the
Platte river. south of Anselmo, with
herd of several hundred cattle, In
search of water, the smaller streams
having proved inadequate in supply
ing the vast droves of the neighbor
hood. He was assisted by seven or
eight cowboys, a small number scarce
ly sufficient for SO large herd, and
when one flank of the moving body
of animals wandered off in the night
from the corral, looking for the where
with to allay their thirst, it was neces
sary for fully half of the herders to go
out after them, thus scattering the
party, says the New York World.
Thompson himself rode east, following
the tracks of cattle which he took for
his own, but which proved to be those
of a herd from lower down, also going
to the Platte.
He had gone out of sight of his as
sistants and had dismounted to e1-
anime the trail, which he was begin
ming to suspect was a day or two old,
when he observed a horse running
toward him rapid gallop. The AMI
NAL was not saddled, but showing
marks of being in recent use, and Mr..
Thompson concluded that he had
probably broken loose from his own
er and the latter would soon be out
looking for him, he resolved to catch
him.
Advancing, the cattleman held out
his hand to the stranger, but the ami
NAL snapped at him and made dart
at the other horse trying 10 bite and
kicking out with his heels. Thomp
son now saw that the runaway was
foaming in a manner that meant more
than heat from his gallop, and think
ing the animal was mad he fastened
to his horses help.
Flinging himself into the saddle, he
clapped spurs to him and made
break for the place where he had left
the still corraled herd The frenzied
horse gave chase, and then began a
break neck race for life over the
prairie. Thompson possessed the ad-
vantage of having the animal he be-
strobe fresh and under perfect control
while the pursuer was able to run by
spurts, with the irregularity of mad
ness add half blindly, but in spite OF
this he was sufficiently near to render
the chase one of great excitement and
| danger for, from the furious creatures
| belligerence displayed at first, it was
easy to see what would be the fate of
| the animal or man who fell before
| him,
So, without sparing whip or spur,
Thompson fled over the ground, with
the mad horse only few dozen yards
in his rear. The danger was increas-
ed by the existence of large cracks in
the earth, gaping for water, which
were often quite wide enough to admit
of the horse he rode falling with one
foot in them and breaking a limb,
when he would be at the mercy of the
painting, raging animal close behind
him, which allowed no time for pick
ing the way over the pitfalls. But
the fiery little Spanish mustang rid
den by Thompson seemed to realize
that his life and that of his rider de
pended on his skill in avoiding these
cracks. and flew over them like bird
rebuilding his speed whenever the
horse following gave a shrill shrek OF
warning.
| Once Thompson saw a rattlesnake
leap out at the mustange as he cleared
a spring at his heels, but the blow
failed, and the snake fastened itself Oh
the lower leg of the animal that came
after; but, with the long greenish
body still hanging to it, the mad horse
did net stay for moment, and as the
mustang paused for second to gath
er itself for leap across a yielding
| place in the earth, where some mole
had once excavated its home, gained
somewhat on the flying pair. Look
ing back, Thompson saw the beast not
more than thirty or thirty five yards
behind him, and, thinking the horse
almost upon him, dashed the mustang
into run that made the ground spin
beneath his nimble feet, and was
rapidly understanding his pursuer,
when he felt the girth about his steed
give way, and checked him only in
time to save himself hard fall.
The saddle slid off the mustangs
back, and Thompson, with his feet
still in the stirrups, fell easily to the
ground. He picked himself up and
scanned the prairie with anxious eyes
for help of some sort. And. to his re-
lief he saw horseman riding across
the plain quarter of a mile away
and standing up, he halloed to this
person. But at first his cries seemed
incapable of reaching the man. who
directed his course in an oblique di-
rection where Thompson stood shout
ing for him.
At last, however. his attention ap
peared to be attracted by the behavior
Of the mad horse, and, following witt
his eyes, he made out the ranchmaI
and caught the latter's signals, putting
spur to his horse, the stranger came
up at a gallop, holding in one hand 6
gun, which Thompson saw with reliet
and JOY, and just as the mad horse
reached him, and he felt the hot
breath from the open mouth feckeG
with bloody foam, shot whistled past
his ear and struck the maddened ami
NAL full in the forehead. He stag
gered and almost fell under the mus
tangs feet, biting and swapping about
him In blind fury; but the mustang
backing away from his fallen enemy
let fly at him with his heels and re
peatedly gave him rousing blows in
the side, while the man who had
come to Thompon's rescue reached
the group, and, throwing his gun
down on the agonized creature, put
an end to its misery and its powers
for mischief.
This timely help was cowboy from
the Reginald Black ranch, who had