The Penn's Grove record., 1896-11-13
eRgAkiNo A WILD HORSE.
e Cowboy Rider Who Didn't LIE
Little Things Trouble Him.

4 Cowboy Rider Who Didn't Let
Little Things Trouble Him.
The GOODNESS of the practiced COW
boy, who feels in duty bound to appear
unburt and without agitation even
when he may be wounded and possess.
ed Of every excuse for excitement, Is
well Illustrated by an incident OF
rough riding in Idaho, related by s
frontiersman. Just below Asotin, on
the Snake Ri,sr, there is a cliff at leas,
atty feet high. at the foot Of which
the deep water of the river winds; II
Is, in fact, rather a cape than a mere
cliff, for the race Of the rock forms a
sharp, jutting point around which q
narrow bridle-path runs.
To Asotin there once came a cowboy
of considerable skill named Billy
Critics: and to him was brought a wild
horse from a neighboring ranch, which
no one could tame. Billy at once un'
dertook the task Of riding the animal
and stood by impassively while his as
sistan ts performed the preparatory
task of throwing, bllndfolding and
saddling the bronco. When the girth
had been bound on very tightly, the
animal was allowed to get up, and
Critics mounted isto the saddle. "All
readyF he shouted, and the bandage
was removed from the wild horses
eyes.
At the same instant Billy touched
the horse with his spurs; and the crea'
ture, intent, as wild horses under such
conditions generally are, only on get
ting the rider of his back, began to
'sbuck" violently. This performance
was repeated for some time, quite in
vain. Critics was far from being the
sort Of rider who could be dislodged
by this proceeding.
All at once the animal began the nexi
performance on the bronco program.
He started off on a dead run, and took
the trail down the Snake. The spec.
tators looked to see Critics manage to
rein him of this dangerous path, but
evidently from bis unfamiliarity with
the ground. the cowboy did not do SO.
but kept straight on.
Hell be killed." several yelled. "Nc
human being ran keep a running horse
on the trail around that point"
This was quite true. All riders who
came to this point on the trail dis.
mounted, even when their animals were
walking. and led them around the dan.
gerous place. 1t was but q slopins
path, and the river ran swiftly straight
below.
There was a sharp bend before the
point was reached, and Billy and his
bronco disappeared from the specta'
tors' view. This added to their sus-
pense.
The bronco went straight Of to tina
very edge Of the precipice, and then
paused of his own accord as II fright,
ened at the gulf. But the presence Of
the awful object on his back overmas-
tered the horses fear Of the cliff, and
standing on the very edge of it he be-
gan to buck violently. Billy chung
hard. The first leap of the bronco did
what must have been expected-it car.
ried him and his rider straight down
the preclpice and into the current OF
the river.
When the spectators, who had fol
lowed on as fast as they could, reached
the place, neither cowboy nor broneo
was to be seen. The trail of the AMI
NAL was plain to the place where be
had gone of the rock. 1t was quite
apparent what had happened.
By a circuitous route the men went
down to the river shore, and followed
along to see II they could find Billy's
body. There was a deep gorge below
with a bit Of shore, and there the
people found Billy Critics, not dead,
but standing on the shore apparently
unhur, unexcited, very wet, and en-.
gagged in an attempt to fish out with a
pole a drowned horse In the stream, 10
order to recover his saddle and bridlel
When the horse went over the precl.
pice the cowboy kept his seat, but
left 1t as soon to the animals body had
broken the fall. The bronco was killed
instantly, but Critics swan out quite
unhurt. Seeing the men. he yelled to
know why they had not brought him
a rope, and when this was brought he
recovered his saddle and bride.