The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1895-09-06
HARDY WILD PONIES.
HOW THEY ARE CAPTURED ANC
tanned ON SABLE ISLAND.


Leads Esa.,, Gang.
Nature has thickened tho coats OF the
wild ponies of Sable island and given
tho hair Oh them almost woolly tend.
ency. During tho Summer they fatteu
on the succulent grasses, and the first
half of tho winter they fairly hold thoil
own, but the cold northeast winds and
SHOWS Of March and April, when the
polar ice surrounds the island, drive
them clustering under tho lee of the
sand dunes, where they stay till toe
weak and chilled to move about in search
of the scanty nourishment.
A year ago, after ten days stormy,
sleepy spell, no less than six dead ami
mails We're found huddlcd i'll nook be
hind some sand hills. During tho win
ter of 1894, 81 wild ponies died from ex
posnre and natural causes. Of course
'%hero there are several hundred horses
or people-no matter how we'll cared
Tor, there will be number of deaths
SO we cannot put the whole Ga deaths
down to exposure and starvation. 2"
That winter began with 100 wild ponies
there called "hard winter''
The sand permeating their food causes
the teeth to wear away rapidly, so that
old ago and inability to eat sufficient
como upon them sooner than with horses
Oh the mainland. Their battles also,
which, though not frequent, are fierce,
and ut times to the death, tend to in
crease tho percentage of mortality.
They go i'll gangs of from TO 20, nc
cording to circumstances. Each gang has
master stallion, who is patriarch, IA
.ther, defender 1t was my privilege last
March, when visiting the island, to see
1 gangs i'll one day when Superintend-
'cnt Boutilier drove with me from the
extreme eastern bar to the main station
We came within 20 or so yards of several
gangs, but they moved independently
away rs we approached.
Catching and shipping them is an i'm
portant and, to all the staff, an exciting
incident. witnessed it from the look
out platform of No. i station in the
early gray of an October morning. SUI
perintendent Boutilier reused me mt
dawn with the words, "They are driv-
ing i'll tho first gang" and i'll Il few
minutes L was Fastening from the house,
some 200 yards, to the lookout, {"
whence [ saw dark objects moving over
the easterly hilloclls Soon could be dis
tinguished nine wild ponies racing lith-
or and yon, but kept we'll together and
trending west by aid of IL men on
horseback (natiyo ponies that seemed to
enjoy the fan rs much as the men on
their backs) behind them, with long
whips and stentorious voices.
a corral % yards in diameter, strong
ly inclosed, with q branch fence, extend
ing from ono side somo 10 yards. made
it not unlike II fish trap ur weir, into
which by judicious driving and heading
the gang was safely lodged, and tho
riders were off for another gang of l2,
which the boss had located. and which
in an hour, despite most desperate ef-
forts to break away, wero all safely cor
ralled with the first gang.
Then Immediately began Il battle be-
tween the two pntriarchs, which | wit
messed. Teeth, forefeet and heels, min
gled with very positive squeals, were
vigorously used After awhile the weak
er stallion fed into the crowd, and The
yiotor's manner indicated his inipor-
tance and foreshadowed his apparent
doom, for tho remark WAS made, :'Wo'd
better get that big fellow out, Is lie
might hur5 some one - So he was soon
1assocd, thrown down, Il Bonupaltc bri-
die put in his mouth and line TO one
foot, and then let up to dash ont Of the
corral through the gateway purposely
opened, dragging two of the boys who
guided him to tho beach for shipment.
Let me give the details: -Four or five
men enter the corral and the horses
cluster to the opposite side. Then one
man throws moose around the neck Of
one, and two men pull that beast out of
the gang as tho herds circle round near
the inclosing fence.
The difficulty of breathing soon causes
temporary weakness, and the horse falls,
or is pushed down, when one man scizes
his head, another tho tail, and ono
Jumps on his body to keep him from
f1oundering. Tho boss puts the loop of Il
line into the horses mouth and round
his lower jaw, then up over his head
and down through the loop III his law,
so that by pulling the limo double pur-
chase is brought on tho mouth This is
bonaparte bride.
Such purchase ut the mouth with a
limo on a hind foot held by experienced
men renders it impossible for the ami
NAL to go elsewhere than to the beach.
When there, two sailors. holding the
ends of line several fathoms long.
walk around him, folding the rope about
his legs. Then by tightening this leg
sope and holding firm his other fasten-
lngs the horse quickly falls and is held
down by head and TAIL while his legs
are tied together with MANILA brought