The daily morning journal and courier., 1895-09-03
An indian Bows Riding-Lesson.

Thus led by those dedicated to reli- gious service, the tribe leaves its Vli- lage, the people by families dropping into line-men, we'll mounted, bearing their weapons ready for use; women, in gala dress, riding their decorated po- nies, older ones leading the pack-horses; little children in twos and threes upon the backs of steady old nags, or snugiy slowed away in the swinging pouch be- tween the tent-poles; and the dogs trot- ting complacently everywhere. Here and there along the line of the caval- |cade is lad being initiated into indi- vidual responsibility. He has been upon the hunt before. as one of the fanl- fly, but this is the first step towards go- ing independently uncared for as a child. The father has lassoed wild horse, saddled and bridled him, and now bids his son mount the animal, The boy hangs back; the colt is a fiery creature, and already restive under re- straint. The father tells his son that the horse shall be his own when he has conquered it, but the lad does not move
 The lookers-on are smiling, and the cavalcade does not wait. Get up" says the father.
 The boy slowly advances, and the colt quickly recedes; but the boy, grasping his mane swings himself into the sad dle. The father lets go, and so does the colt -rears, jumps,5 wriggles, humps his back like an infuriated cat, stands on I,;f ia1ye !, paws the air and stamps the earth, bus the boy clings to him until with sud den jerk the saddle-girth is broken, and he is landed over the head of the exci- ted creature, which runs for dear life and liberty. Brought back, protesting by twists and shakes of his head, he is again mounted, and again frees himself. After two or three repetitions of this sort of thing, the boy becomes angry, and the mother grows anxious. She runs to her son as he is scrambling Up from the ground, feels him all over and moves his legs and arn:e to see if he is
 hurt He is impatient at the delay; he l is going to master that pony now or die | for it. This time he stays on. In vain l the animal lashes himself into foam
 and fury; the boy sticks to him like the shirt of Nessus, and the father at last leads the indivislble pair between the 1 tent-poles which trail behind sophis- ticated family horse, and there, fenced
 in, they journey all day, trying to get
 used to each other. The pony does not
 see his way out of the poles, and is
 forced to keep up with the procession. | At the first halt strife is renewed.
 The pony jumps over a nest of children
 slung between tent-poles and rouses | the ire of the dogs. With them at his
 heels, and the boy on his back, he is an
 object of terror as well as of mirth to the camp. He goes where he likes. All the boy can do is to hold on; but
 hold on he doesI until at nightfall he dismounts without the aid of the pony, The animal recognizes this as defeat, and the struggle is over. An admiring
 uncle presents the boy with whip, the
 handle of which, decorated in porcu- pine-quill work. is terminated by tas- sel of elk-teeth; and thenceforth he rides his pony with the pride of con- queror, while the pony himself prances along as if he too were proud of his
 own part of the performance.-Aliee c. Fletcher in the Century.