The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1899-11-29

| ftfDa coiOfauO 0aQ come INTO the
troughs. II seems the verba colorado
was little red mare, the incarnation
of devil in the wild range horse. She
had reputation among all the 5000
head of stock on the ranch, having
been maverick so long that when she
was finally caught up and branded she
was too wild to be OF any use for either
work or breeding. She had nearly kill
ed an Indian and Mexican who had
undertaken to break her, and had been
turned loose again. She never came
into the ranch except in the dryest
weather, when sll the outlying water
holes had gone dry and she was forced
to steal in at night for a drink from the
big tanks in the corral. 1t had passed
into saying on the Costa Rica and
other ranches around when a particu-
larly bad spell of drought occurred,
that it was bad enough to bring the red
mare home.
"0ld Encinas told the foreman to
keep the verba penned up for the night
and then, chuckling, rubbed his dry
hands and said we would have some
sport in the morning. Then he sent a
peon OFF to the Seri rancheria to see if
Pablo was there. While the messen-
ger was gone he explained to me that
Pablo was one of the most noted rum
ners of the tribe, and as the red mare
was fit for nothing but killing anyhow,
he was going to match her in sprint
race with the Indian.
"When Pablo came up, it struck me
that If any man could run down a
broncho horse he probably was the
one. He was six feet four, and weigh
ed about $50, all bone and whipeord.
He was as black as lead idol, and as
nearly naked as the law allowed. He
was barefooted, too, but the old don ex-
planned to me that none of the Seris
ever wole anything on his feet, which
was the way their trail was always to
be distinguished from Papagois. En-
cinas explained to Pablo that he was
going to turn the red mare loose in the
morning, and that if Pablo could give
her ten feet start and catch her in 800
varas, approximately 800 yards, he
could have her.
Next morning everybody who could
spare the time assembled at the corral.
The wild mare was inside, circling un-
easily, and smiling at every corner for
an outlet. Encinas drew a line ten
PAGES from the corral gate and told
Pablo he must let the mare get over
that before he started for her Then q
vaquero was sent inside to get the
broncho started, and tie bars were let
down.
Pablo was waiting just at the open
ing, guiltiess of any adornment except
a breechclout and a big butcher knife
strapped to his hip. 1t would be strain
ing the term to call him bronze
Adonis or Apollo or any other old
Greek deity, for he wasn't. But such
another human greyhound have new
er seen. Standing six feet four, and
lean as Pharaeh's kline, he hardly gave
promise of the power that was really in
him. Dark as a negro, but with long,
straight hair falling almost to his shoul-
ders, and his white teeth cleaning as he
occasionally moistened his lips, he had
a sinister look like one of the old Ethi-
opian strangers out Of the Arabian
Nights His powerful neck and great
race-horse chest were his most striking
features, and if it had not been for
those and his broad hips, his wasp-like
waist and sunken abdomen would have
made him look almost delicate.
''As the vaquero rode into the corral
the bronchO mare started for the open
gate She shied from the little crowd
outside and swept around the inclosure
again. Pablo was waiting at the gate,
his foot braced against the post, and
STOPPING forward with his hands on his
knees, every muscle like spring coil
ed up ready to be released.
1.-THE red mare came around again at
a gallop, and, as the van9uero made a
feint at her with his rope, she swerved
and dashed through the gate like q
Futurity winner at the wire. Almost
the instant she flashed by Pablo was in
the dust at her heels, but it was stand
ing start against flying one, and by
the time he had got into MS stride she
had increased her lead to fifteen or
twenty feet. She headed straight across
the wide dusty clearing like deer seek
ing cover, and the Seri at her flank go
ing her jump for jump. 1t was a race
for blood, a case of beast against beast,
for the big, black, naked figure looked
more like a wolf than a man, and
bounded free like wolf at full stretch.
Halfway across the clearing he had
closed up the gap again. Then long
black arm shot out, and in a single
spring he had the mare by the tail.
With a powerful twist he threw her,
and both of them disappeared for
minute in cloud of dust AS it eles--
ed away we saw the knife flash at her
throat, and when we came up Pablo
was complacently catching the warm
blood in his hand and drinking it.
''The distance was measured, a scant
$50 yards. No one held a stop watch
on the performance, but / believe it
would have cut considerably under
any existing record. New York Sun.
Greater Still.