The Forrest City times. [volume] (Forrest City, Ark.) 1871-1919, 1895-12-06

mass with them, seemed to slightly
slacken their speed.
AS we hurried toward the narrowing
gap we came ever nearer to the tl,un.
dering beasts of the side columns. We
were so near them that the heated
nameless smell of their galloping bodies
their breath, the very fumes of their hot
blood seemed enveloping us in smoky
air. which became thick and binding
as light, transient wind blew from the
foothills, and bore around us the fine
dust from frantic hoofs.
Take more ground" screamed Del
'spread out. We must keep further
apart. They'll keep back, maybe. Try
it. It's our last chance.
"No-let us stop-let US turn and run
back. There may be an opening be.
hind us in spite of appearances"
There's not" roared Del. 81 looked
behind before the dust closed in. Don't
you hear the rush back there? | saw
a perfect horde right behind us--a reg.
ular line. Cattle have run in from the
plain and caught up to the rear line
Take more ground, ! tell you'll"
AS he veered off so did |. We rode
then about so feet apart, at pace which
must soon use up our strength. But
there was no choice. To get through
we must work with all our might. for
the gap was now quite narrow.
was SO close to the galloping column
on my right that | could see the beasts
eyes. They had not gwen way as |
came nearer, but still did not seem in.
clined to crowd me. | have since
thought that they did not see us at all
after the stampede began, but rushed
blindly on with the impulse to mass.
Well, / knew that those directly be.
hind us were pouring on in a frenzy
that would. did we fall. carry them over
us as in perfect unconsciousness that
they trampled anything living.
| felt my strength failing fast. II
seemed that the course was carrying us
UP slope. But now we were so closed
in that the dust was quite binding, :
could no longer see Del. / yelled te
him, but heard no reply. With hor
rible covering realization of what {,
formless mass he must be now, if he
were down among the hoofs, | pushed
my pedals desperately.
Right ahead of me the dark placea
that denoted cattle intermingled with
the dust seemed still unjoined. The gap
was not yet closed, / believed, and drove
for it. Could l but get through and a
little more than through might
swerve off against the breeze, pass
round the front of the furious, wedge
like mass, and escape the wide, fanking
ends.
More choking, more acrid, more evil
smelling, more binding the hideous
dust enveloped me. was close on the
leaders now. / was so close that /
could dimly see the gaunt, ridgy backs,
the muscular hind parts, the crazy tails
these cattle, tried by drought and
lean with much wandering for water,
were in condition to run far-even in
my despair, noted that.
In condition to run! They seemed in
condition to leap as if for fun while run
ming. Up--they sprang by ranks-how
strange! All, understood
But understood too late. The earth
crack which they had leaped was deep;
my wheel seemed to go from under me !;
Just then / heard what sounded like
rapid revolver firing; and down, down /
fell.
When my eyes opened saw a swarthy
face close to mine. A peon from the
Rancho del Paso was holding little tin
of wine to my lips. Others stood about.
And Del-could it be possible? They
had lifted me tenderly out of the earth
crack, and now told me how Del and l
had been saved.
He had fallen into a crack, too, but
had escaped with fewer hurts than 1.
AS for the poems, they had ridden from
the Rancho del Paso in an attempt to
stop the stampede, and the sound of
their shooting into the leaders was that
which l had heard at the moment of
my fall.
We were at the Rancho del Paso four
days before / was fit to travel; and
when next we crossed that dreary
stretch of plain it was with wagon
train. Del and had learned to appre-
ciate the dangers of bicycling among
range cattle. and the value of a con-
siderable acquaintance with the Mexi-
can vernacuiar. When next we heard a
peon warn us to avoid Plaza de Toros we
lInew that he meant something more
dangerous than the bull fight circus
ground.-Youth's Companion.
Tn, flxrt.a arAia 1S fhat.a