Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1895-09-14
HARDY WILD PONIES.
HOW THEY ARE CAPTURED AND
tanned ON SABLE ISLAND.


The Little Animals Are Toughened By the
Severity Of the Winters and Their strug-
gle to Procure Food-A Master Stallion
Leads Each Gang.
Nature has thickened the coats of the
wild ponies Ct Sable island and given
the hair on them almost a woolly tend
ency. During the summer they fatten
on the succulent grasses, and the first
half of the winter they fairly hold their
own, but the cold northeast winds and
SHOWS of March and April, when the
polar ice surrounds the island, drive
them clustering under the lee of the
sand dunes, where they stay till too
weak and chilled to move about in search
Of the scanty nourishment.
A year ago, after a ten days stormy,
sleepy spell, no less than six dead ami
mails We're found huddled in nook be-
hind some sand hills. During the win
ter Of 1894, 81 wild ponies died from ex-
posure and natural causes. OF course
where there are several hundred horses
for, there will be a number of deaths.
So we cannot put the whole Ga deaths
down to "exposure and starvation"
That winter began With 400 wild ponies
on the island, and it was what the staff
there called "hard winter"
The sand permeating their food causes
the teeth to wear away rapidly, SO that
old age and inability to eat sufficient
come upon them sooner than with horses
on the mainland. Their battles also,
which, though not frequent. are fierce,
and at times to the Death, tend to in
crease tho percentage Of mortality.
They go in gangs of from 5 to %. ac-
cording to circumstances. Each gang has
a master stallion, who is patriarch, IA
ther, defender. 1t was my privilege last
March, when visiting the island, 10 sec
IL gangs in one day when Superintend
ent Boutilier drove with me from the
extreme eastern bar to the main station.
We came within 20 or 80 yards of several
gangs, bus they moved Independently
away as We approached.
Catching and shipping them is an i'm
portant and, to all the staff, an exciting
incident. I witnessed it from the look
out platform of No station in the
early gray Of an October morning. Su-
perintendcnt Boutilier reused me at
dawn with tho words, "They are driy-
ing in tho first gang" and in 4 few
minutes was fastening from the house,
some 200 yards, to the lookout,
whence saw dark objects moving over
the easterly hillocks. Soon could be dis
tinguished nine wild ponies racing hith-
err and yon, bat kept we'll together and
trendily, west by aid of l.? men on
| horseback (native ponies that seemed to
| enjoy the fun 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 branchfence extend
ing from ono side some IS yards. made
| it not unlike u fish trap or weir, into
which by judicious driving and heading
the gang was safely lodged, and the
riders were off for another gang of IL,
| which the boss had located. and which
in an hour, despite most desperate cf-
forts to break away, were all safely cor
rallied with the first gang.
Then Immediately began a battle be-
tween the two patriarchs, 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, ard the
victor's manner indicated his inpor.
lance and foreshadowed his apparent
doom, for the remark was made, "We'd
better get that big fellow out, as he
might hurt some one. So he was soon
lassoed, thrown down, a Bonaparte bri
die put IN his mouth and a line to one
foot, and then'let mp to dash out of the
corral through the gateway purpoSely
opened, dragging two Of the boys who
guided him to the beach for shipment.
Let me give the details: -Four or five
men enter the corral, and the horse.
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 the herds circle round neal
the inclosing fence.
The difficulty of breathing soon cause!
temporary weakness, and the horse falls
or is pushed down. when one man seize.
his head, another the tail, and ont
jumps ON hn body to keep him from
fioundering. The boss puts the loop Of /:
J line into the horses mouth and rount
his lower jaw, then up over his heat
and down through the loop in his jaw
so that by pulling the line double pur
, chase is brought cn the mouth This il
, bunaparte bride.
, Such purchase ut the mouth with
line on a'hind foot held by experienced
men renders it impossible for the ami
nal to 20 elsewhere than to the beach
When there, two sailors. holding .th
ends of line several fathoms long
, walk around him, folding the rope abou
, his legs Then by tightening this lie,
| rope and holding firm his other fasten
ings the horse quickly falls and is hell
, down by head and tail, while his leg
| are tied together with MANILA brough
, from the ship. A layer or two of this sof
rome lies between the feet, so that strug
, CLING does not cause abrasion. Then
| helpless, the monarch lies broadside o.
a., -,