Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1897-03-06
THE FIELD OF ADVENTURE.
THRILLING INCIDENTS AND OAR.
ING DEEDS ON LAND AND SEA.
A Texas Pony Goes to Its Masters
Rescue-Saved by Cattle--A Wo-
mans Marvellous EscaDe,

Rcscue-Saved by Cattle--A Wo-
mans Marvellous Escape.
r r ERE is story that will illus.
NJ trate most emphatically that
much talked OF commodity
commonly known as "horse
sense" 1t comes straight from Ari.
zons, and is told by correspondent
OF the Philadelphia Times:
During the early days OF December,
before the rains began, X. N. Tucker
commonly called "Old Kaintuck"
by his familiars-- an ex.teamster and
general all round cattle herder, cow
hoy, etc., was acting as guide to a
party of cattle hunters. the section
visited being low in the Territory, not
far from the border.
When they had been several days
out the party struck camp in q little
arroyo seco, or dry creek bed, to keep
out of the sweep of the winds, and did
some pretty good shooting, antelopes
and rabbits being the principal game,
with now and then q coyote or a
mountain lion to relieve the monotony
and keep things somewhat adventur.
GUS. In the course of few days,
however, the immediate section hav-
ing been pretty thoroughly worked,
"Old Kaintuck," taking one OF the
men, Hickson by name, set out upon
a sort of scouting expedition to select
a new location. 1t CHANGED that
Kaintuck's pony, famous little ami
NAL, called Cita, that was dear as dear
to the old teamster's heat, had that
ve,y morning grazed her shin by a
fall on the smooth rocks at the bottom
of the arroyo, SO, much to his regret,
but that she might be saved toilsome
and irritating journey through the
alkali dust, her master rode another
animal, leaving his pet tethered to
manzanita bush near camp.
A few hours after the departure of
Keintuck and Hickson the party in
camp became aware, to their great
conservation, that they were IN the
midst OF one of the terrors of Western
plain life, a sandstorm. The wind
swept across the desert lands with
velocity almost incalculable, driving
before it sheets and clouds Of sand
that stihed the breath, blinded the
eyes and burnt into the skin like live
coals. The camping party had much
ado to get themselves and their ponies
behind the stunted timbers or under
the iutting rock ledges on the banks
of the arroyo. Once here, however,
they felt comparatively safe, but what
of poor Hickson and "Old Kaintuck ?"
The wind was driving directly in line
of the route taken by these two scouts,
and the hunters we'll knew what small
chance they stood against its fury on
the open prairie. But the question
of attempting to go to their relief was
not even to be thought Of; oil they
could do was just to sit and wait, that
dreariest of alternatives. Though its
fury was spent in few hours, the
wind kept up all day, bringing whiffs
and gusts OF white dust that followed
in the track of the sand cloud.
As night came down, however, the
wind lulled and the moon rose, great
white moon that illuminated the
plains and showed the trees upon the
foothills in the distance. Not long
thereafter there was a sound Of horses
feet in the distance; presently soil.
tary horseman dashed into camp, and
poor Hickson. more dead than alive,
fell from his staggering pony. 1t was
some time before anything could be
learned from him of his own narrow
escape or of "Old Kaintuck's" prob.
able fate. 1t appears that Hickson
and his pony had been driven against
a clump of nanzanita bushes. and SO
held in check against the drifting
sand. But poor "Kaintuck" had
not Jared so we'll. The last Hickson
had seen OF him he had been thrown
from his horse and both we're being
driven on by the relentless power of
the sand cloud. What remnants Of
strength Hickson had had left when
the storm passed he had exhausted in
q fruitless search for his companion,
and had at last returned to camp in
despair.
OF course, a relief party was organ.
lied at once to go out and make q
strenuous effort, at least, to find "Old
Kaintuok." In the hurry and hustle
OF preparation, one OF the men called
out that Cita, the tenmster's pet mare,
was missing.
"It must have been Cita that gal.
loped by me like mad as I was trying
to find my way back to camp just after
DUSK" said Hickson, hearing the
alarm. II fancied there was some.
thing familiar in the pony's whirny
as she passed, though che flew by like
a wild thing"
"Gone to look for her master" said
one of the men. "Then let us after
her as fast as possible.
So still was it after the storm and
so bright the moonlight that an old
hunter in the crowd was able to dis.
tinguish now and then q horses track
in the wind swept sand, and presently
1t became apparent that they had
struck Olta's trail.
1t was far into the night, however,
and the men had ridden long jour.
ney before they heard family in the
distance q pony's whinny. Guiding
themselves thereby, and putting spurs
| TO tue1r own JHueu uhRe, tuoy cnue ~
length upon Cita.
Stopped short at tho big drift Of
sand, piled high like dyke and left
at least by the spent wind, the brave
little mare was reared upon her hind
legs, digging away with front feet and
muzzle into the embankment. Taking
their cue from her, the men set to
work with might and main, and in less
than ON hours time came upon "Kain.
tuck" and the horse he had been
riding, both buried in the drift. By
one Of those singular interventions of
Providence the horse had fallen across
"Kaintuck's" body in such way as
to protect him from the drift of the
sand, and while the pony was dead OF