The Philipsburg mail., 1899-08-25
WILD HORSE SCARCE.
FENCING HAS GREATLY RE-
DUCED THE HERDS.
How They Are Huntcd-Not Such Fine
Steeds as They Have Been Described,
and They Arc Shot for Sport-Were
Worthless Burdens.


The wild horses which used to roam
the Texas prairies are about all gone.
asked an old resident what had be-
come of them, and he told me that
only very few remained, and that
they were in the large pastures, and
that they were being killed as often
as a shot could be had at them. |
asked him the reason for this destruc-
tion and he said that they were worth
less, in the first place, and in the sec
ond they stole other horses which were
good and carried them off with them.
He informed me also that of all the
wild animals a horse or mule when
had formerly been under the dominion
Of man was the widest when once it
became part Of the wild herd. The
stations Of the wild herd were always
ambitious to keep their "bunch' filed,
and would steal mare or horse, or
even a mule, from the settlements or
cow ranches when the occasion pre-
sented itself. When once tame horse
or a mule got with wild herd he
became the widest and most cunning
of them all. AS the wire fences went
up the territory of the wild horse con-
tracted. Finally all that remained
we're in the large pastures. I was told
that before the pastures came 1t was
the custom to walk down. the wild
herds and reduce them to servitude
One man l met here told me how this
walking down" was done. He said
! that the wild herd which one was de-
termined to capture always had GER
tain range. This range was known
from men who secuted on the praries.
For instance, one man may have seen
the bunch" for that is what the herd
Is called, up near some particular
point in the northwest of the Panhan-
die, Another ranger may have seen
the same bunch" fifty miles southeast
Of where the first man saw it, Others
may have seen it along the route be-
tween the two points. Thus it would
be concluded that the range was be-
tween the two points mentioned. Four
or five men would enter the eXpedi-
tion to walk down the ''bunch." A
man would be stationed every twenty
or thirty miles along the route, and
then the bunch" would be started.
For the first day the wild horses would
Bcamper off, throwing their names and
tails to the breeze, making sight
that would whet the desire of those
pursuing them to capture them, for
there is nothing prettier in the world
than a troop of wild horses at a dis
lance. They look perfection when
they throw up their heads and sniff the
wind and then scamper away. l have
seen one or two bunches myself. The
man who starts them on their trips
follows them for day on q pony
taking his time. His place is then
taken by the second man about night
fall, presuming that the bunch was
started in the morning. The second
man follows them all night for the
hunt is made when there is full
moon, SO that the bunch can be tracked
at night as we'll as during the day
On the morning when the third man
takes the trail the stallion, or master
Of the bunch, is behind the herd bit
ing and kicking the laggards in it, The
third day, or evening Of the second
day, finds the bunch strung out in q
straight line, each following the other
in Indian file. They are getting very
tired then. They are allowed no time
to eat or drink. The pursuer, knowing
that they are firing, forces them anC
thus the chase continues for about five
days, when the whole herd is so tired
that it is easily taken. But, said my
Informant, when the work is done anC
every horse taken, the purSuers are
always unanimous in their verdict
, that the game was not worth the la.
, Dor expended, for the horses takcr
, are measly set, and never good fol
;, anything. "Crcasing" means shootini
= the animal just beneath the name, no
=, low enough to break his neck, ye
= low enough so that a shock suf;icien
, to bring down the animal will be IN
). ficted. II requires the best marks
manship to do this, and as the distanc,
at which the shooting must be done
. is usually great, very few animals
> have been taken in this way.-Galyes
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