The Somerset reporter., 1895-12-10
A BATTLE OF HORSES.
A FIERCE FIGHT BETWEEN ARMY
STEEDS AND WILD ANIMALS.

Military Training.
just at snndoWn, aud while We were
At supper, Il drove Of Wild horses mum
beriug Ss suddenly emerged from.
Thatcher pass and deploycd on the lev
el ground of the valley They had
made use Of the pass t. cross from eli
maX valley, where grass and water
might have failed them or horse hunt
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
WIS at rest. He wasn't as handsome as
some of the drove leaders to be met
with in the dlYs Of the Wild horse, but
he was yet a king among horses. OF
the remainder of the herd about 30
Were 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 inn
migrant tram.
When clear Of the pass, they formed in
line and advanced upon IL to within a
quarter of mile. We had - hmses at
the lariat pins, and for half an hour we
/ had all we could do to prevent etam-
! pedc The Wild horses were finally
/ driven down the valley by two mounted
men, hut 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 II Was an hour be-
fore our cavalry horses calmed down in
the slightest. Every animal seemed en-
ragged at the sight of the free herd and
the captain 5 Kentucky stallion acted as
if possessed by tiend He had been
doubly fastened at the beginning of the
excitement, and later GA this proved a
fortunate thing. He made the most tre-
mendonS efforts to get free, aud when
at length he realized the futility Of fur
cher efforts in that direction he uttered
shrill screams Of rage and dashed out
With his heels till no one dared approach
4 him. Allnight long he stood on his feet
paving and smorting, and the camp sen
tinels reported the Wild horses aS hang
ing about within half mile Of Us.
Daylight had come, and the Scntinels
of the night We're coming into camp,
when the Wild horses rushed into view
IA mile below Us. On the instant we
discovered them, and while four ffths
Of the men We're yet under their blank
ets the captain 5 horse uttered 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 a stampede, as
we naturally feared. Even had our AMI =
mails desired to join the ranks Of the
free they would have been rebutfed.
| Our horses We're punched, and in a sol
/ id 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 retrcated up
the valley half ii hi ie and then wheel
ed about in a single line When our
drove halted and turned there was Il
distance of three quarters of a mile be
tween the eombatants We were ordered
to fail in, with view of advancing up.
on the wild horses and driving them off
hut before we had gotten into line it
was too late
The sight was wonderful one The
two leaders advanced as if they meant
to decide the issue by fight between
them, but when within 30 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 IA
double line and dressed II the right as
perfectly as if trooper had oceapied
each saddle, and while we looked the
lines suddenly moved forward ON "a
charge. When they swept past us, the
alignment was absolutely perfect, with
the captain horse on the right and
leading by about 20 feet. The line Of
wild horses bent and wavered, but did
not break until struck. 1t was like strik-
ing a drunhcad with sledge hammer.
/ believe that fully 40 horses went
down under the shock, but all except
four We're speedily on their feet again
From this on it was Il melee, the whole
drove cireling around and each horse
biting and kicking and displaying such
ferOelty 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 stal-
hon hobbled out of it on three legs and
bleeding from half "A 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 SS.only
81 got away. When the hottest of it
was over, we dashed in and secured a
horse here and there, and in this man
ner we finally got hold of the last one,
which was the captain s.
OF the 10 only 3 had escaped scot
free. Every one Of the others had been
bitten and kicked, and , of them were
So crippled as to be worthless I'm al
most every instance cur horses had kick
ed off both hind shoes, and in some
eases the front ones were gone rs well.
There We're : dead and 3G crippled
horses on that battlefield when hastIli.
ties ceased, and Of the 81 Wild horses
which made their escape many were
4imping badly Before breaking camp
~e turned to and put An end to The suf-
ferings Of the cripples and we were
not vet in tha saddle when "a hundred
bu22ards and dozen wolves were feast