The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1896-01-24


| inrushing of fanking cattle that made
| short cuts to reach the stampeding
| throng.
We've got to get through quickly or
! they'll be on top of us, cried Del, look
ing at me with great alarm.
"We'n get through they're not clos
/ ing the gap," | shouted, for we had to
/ shout if we would be heard above the
| dull, strange din.
"They arel" he roared. "The Cattle
in front are not running as fast as those
leading the sides. Don't you see TIE
sides slowly closing in2" 70,
If it had been possible for us to "a, :
| them we should have rejoiced to d. -
/ But masses of cattle behind us ~
4 oalloping furiously-a dark, belloHs
/ array under the cloud OF theiHon
! dust. We dared not risk a stoYRs
/ could not turn aside; our only g ne {
of escape seemed to lie in outruEed
! the tanks of the cattle impi, and so es z
/ Gaping by the front.
We had good hope to get through,
and pretty easily, though the course OF
| the leading thanking cattle seemed to
| slant more than ever across our 'ne.
| and the front herd, perhaps because
| they instinctively wished the others to
| mass with them, seemed to slightly
! slacken their speed.
! AS we hurried toward the narrowing
gap we came ever nearer to the tllun-
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 q light, transient wind blew from the
foot hills, 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
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"
was so close to the galloping column
on my right that | could see the beasts
eyes They had not given 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 frenzy
that would, did we fall, carry them over
us as in perfect unconsciousness that
| they trampled anything living.
felt my strength failing fast. 1t
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. l yelled to
him, but heard no reply. With a hor
rible covering realization of what a
formless mass he must be now, if he
were down among the hoofs, pushed
my pedals desperately.
Right ahead of me the dark places
that denoted cattle intermingled with
the dust seemed still unjoined. The gap
was not yet closed, believed, and drove
for it. Could but get through and d
little more than through might
swerve off against the breeze, pass
round the front of the furious, wedge
like mass, and escape the wide, thanking
ends.
i More choking, more acrid, more evil
smelling, more binding the hideous
dust enveIoped 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 swarth>
face close to mine. peon from the
Rancho del Paso was holdinga 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 /
had been saved.
He had fallen INTO a crack, too, but
had escaped with fewer hurts than |.
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 | 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 con-
siderable acquaintance with the MeNi-
can vernacular When next we heard Il
peon warn us o avoid Plaza de Toros we
knew that he raeant something more
dangerous than the bull fight circus
grQuMd.-Youtb's Companion.
when to Water Horses
Always water your horses the frs
thing in the morning. and do not lie
the water be too cold. IF it is too cole
you will probably have a case of collie