Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1895-12-21
4 BATTLE OF HORSES.
FIERCE FIGHT BETWEEN ARMY
STEEDs AND WILD ANIMALS.
Equine Passions That became Fiendish |
When Fnlly Aroused Riderless Cavalry
steeds That showed the Results of Their
Military Training.


When Fully Aroused Riderlcss Cavalry
steeds That Showed the Results of Their
Military Training.
Just at shutdown, aud while we were
at supper, drove of wild horses num-
herring IS suddenly emerged from
Thatcher : pass and deployed ON the lew
81 ground of the valley. They had
made use of the pass to cross from Gil
max valley, where grass and water
might have failed them or horse hnnt
ers had appeared to give them fright.
They emerged from the pass in single
file, led by spotted stallion whose
name reached almost to his knees and
whose tail touched the ground when he
was at rest He wasn't as handsome as
some of the drove leaders to be met
with in the days of the wild horse, but
he was yet q king among horses. OF
tho remainder of the herd about 80
We're fine animals. The others would
hardly be worth the catching. Three or
four were recognized as cavalry horses
abandoned on the march, and twice
that number had collar marks to prove
that they had stampeded from some i'm
migrant train.
When clear of the pass, they formed in
line and advanced upon us to within
quarter of mile. We had rs horses at
the lariat pins, and for half an hour we
had all we could do to prevent a STAN
pede. The wild horses were finally
driven down the valley by two mounted
men, but they did not seem to have
much fear of us. On the contrary, the
leader of the drove exhibited such tenn
per that the men feared they would
have to shoot him. 1t was an hour be-
fore our cavalry horses Gained down in
the slightest. Every animal seemed en-
ragged at the sight Of the free herd, and
the captains Kentucky stallion acted as
if possessed by fiend. He had been
doubly fastened at the beginning Of the
excitement, and later ON this proved a
fortunate thing. He made the most ire
mendous efforts to get free, and when
at length he realized the futility of fur
ther efforts i'll that direction he uttered
shrill screams of rage and dashed ont
with his heels till no one dared approach
him. All night long he stood on his feet
paving and snorting, and the camp SEN
tinels reported the wild horses as hang
ing about within half mile of us.
Daylight had come, and the sentinels
Of the night were coming into camp,
when the wild horses rushed into view
a mile below u.s. On the instant we
discovered them, and while four -fifths
of the men were yet under their blank
cts the captains horse uttered a scream
which must have been taken as a sig
nal He reared up, shook his head like
an angry lion and freed himself of his
halter. In the same instant every other
horse in the command secured his lib
erty. Some pulled up the pins, some
worked their heads clear of the straps,
and away went the whole drove down
the valley. 1t was not stampede, as
we naturally feared. Even had our ami
mails desired to join the ranks of the
free they would have been rebuffed.
Our horses were punched, and in sol
i'd bunch they drove right through the
lines of the wild horses and left four Of
them lying crippled on the grass as they
passed The prairie drove retreated up
the valley half mile and then wheel
ed about in a single line. When our
drove halted and turned, there was
distance of three-quarters of mile be-
tween the eombatants. We were ordered
to fall in, with view of advancing up
on the wild horses and driving them off,
but before we had gotten into line it
was too late.
The sight was a wonderful one. The
two leaders advanced as if they meant
to decide the issue by fight between
them, but when within 40 yards of each
other they wheeled and returned to
their respective lines. Then we wit
messed something which only cavalry
man will credit Our horses fell into a
double line and dressed to the right as
perfectly as if trooper had occupied
each saddle, and Willie we looked the
lines suddenly moved forward on a
charge. When they swept past us. the
alignment was absolutely perfect, with
the captains horse on the right and
leading by about 90 feet. The line of
wild horses bent and wavered, bnt did
not break until struck. 1t was like strik-
ing a drumhead with sledge hammer.
! believe that fully 40 horses went
down under the shock, but all except
four were speedily on their feet again.
From this ON it was a melee, the whole
drove circling around, and each horse
biting and kicking and displaying such
ferocity as to astonish US. The mob
fought past us down the valley and
back, and right in front Of the camp the
climax came. The battle had been rag
ing half an hour, when the spotted stall
lion hobbled out of it on three legs and
bleeding from half dozen wounds,
and that seemed to take the pluck out
of his followers. Some ran up the val
ley and some down, but of the So only
81 got away. When the hottest of it
was over, we dashed i'll and secured a
horse here and there and in this man
ner we finally got hold of the last one,
which was the captains.
OF the IS only had escaped scot
free. Every one Of the others had been
bitten and kicked, and ~ of them were
so crippled as to be worthless. In al
most every instance our horses had kick
ed off both hind shoes, and in some
eases the front ones were gone as we'll
There were dead and SO crippled
horses ON that battlefield when hostili-
ties ceased, and of the 81 wild horses
which made their escape many were
limping badly. Before breaking camp
we turned TO and mt an end to the srf-
ferings of the cripples, and we were
not yet in the saddle when a hundred
buzzards and dozen wolves were feast
ing on the bodies -Detroit Free Press.
A tough or freshly killed fowl may
be made tender by hurying in the ground
for some hours