The Press., 1896-01-09
Number Al.
Detroit Free Press.)
THE BATTLE OF THE HORSES.

supper, drove of wild horses, number ing eighty-eight, suddenly emerged from Thatcher's Pass and deployed on the level ground of the valley. They had made use of the pass to cross from Climax Val ley, where grass and water might have failed them, or horse hunters had appear ed to give them fright. They emerged from the pass in a single nle, led by . spotted stallion whose mane reached al- most to his knees, and whose tail touched the ground when he was at rest. He wasn't as handsome as some of the drove leaders to be met with in the days of the wild horses. Of the remainder of the herd about thirty were fine animals. The others would hardly be worth the catch ing. 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 immigrant train.
 When clear of the pass they formed in line and advanced upon us to within quarter of a mile. We had seventy-f1ve horses at the lariat pins, and for half an hour we had all we could do to prevent a stampede. The wild horses were finally driven down the valley by two mounted men, but they did not seem to have much fear of us. On the contrary. the leader of the drove exhibited such temper that the men feared they would have to shoot him. It was an hour before our cavalry horses calmed down in the slightest. Every animal seemed enraged at the sight of the free herd, and the captains Ken lucky stallion acted as If possessed by a find. He had been doubly fastened at the beginning of the excitement, and later on this proved fortunate thing. He free, and when at length he realized the futility of further efforts In that direction he uttered shrill screams of rage and lash ed out with his heels till no one dared approach him. All night long he stood on his feet paving and snorting, and the camp sentinel reported tho wild horses as hanging about within half 8 mile of us.
 Daylight had come, and the sentinels of the night were coming into camp, when the wild horses rushed into view a mile below us. On the instant we discovered them, and while four-f1fths of the mer were yet under their blankets, the cap. tain's horse uttered scream which must have been taken as Q signal. He reared up, shook his head like an angry Hon and freed himself of his halter. In thu same instant every other horse in th' command secured his liberty; some pull ed up the pins, some worked their headt 1 clear of tho straps, and away went tho whole drove down the valley. It w1s not stampede, Ss we naturally feared Even had our animals desired tC join the ranks of the free they would have been rebuffed. Our horses were punched, and in solid bunch they drove right through the lines of the wild horses and left four of them lying crippled or the grass as they passed. The prairie drove retreated up the valley half mile and then wheeled about in 8 single line When our drove halted and turned there was a distance of three-quarters of 6 mile between the combatants. We were ordered to fall in, with view of advanc ing upon the wild horses and driving them off, but before we had gotten into line il was too late.
 The sight was wonderful one. The two leaders advanced as If they meant to de eide the issue by a fight between them but when within forty yards of each othe they wheeled and returned to their respec tive lines. Then we witnessed something which only 8 cavalryman will credit Our horses fell into double line an' dressed to the right, as perfectly as a trooper had occupied each saddle, an' while we looked the lines suddenl, moved forward on charge. When the swept past us the alignment was abso lutely perfect, with the captains hors on the right and leading by about twent, feet. The line of wild horses bent an wavered, but did not break until struck It was like striking Q drum head with
 sledge-hammer. believe that fully fort horses went down under the shock, bu all except four were on their feet again From this on 1t was a melee, the whol drove circling around, and each hors biting and kicking and displaying sue ferocity as to astonish us. The mo fought past us down the valley and back and right in front of the camp the clima came. The battle had been raging hal an hour, when the spotted stallion hot bled out of Son three legs and bleedin from half a dozen wounds, and tha seemed to take the pluck out of his fo lowers. Some ran up the valley an some down, but of the eighty eight onl ifty-seven got away. When the hotties of it was over we dashed in and secure horse here and there, and in this mar ner we finally got hold of the last one which was the captains.
 Of the seventy-five only five ha < escaped scot-free. Every one of tn others had been bitten and kicked, an twelve of them were so crippled As t be worthless. In almost every instanc our horses had kicked of both hin shoes, and in some cases the front one
 were gone as well. There were. seve dead and thirty-six crippled horses 0 - that battlefield when hostilities ceased and of the fifty y-seven wild horses whic
 made their escape many were limpin
 badly. Before breaking camp we turne
 to and put an end to the sufferings of th
 cripples, and we were not yet in th
 saddle when a hundred great buzzarC
 and dozen wolves were feasting on tt
 bodies.
 If suffering with piles, 1t will interel