Daily camera., 1899-02-25
NEW HIDE-AND-SE SEEK.
WESTERN GAME FOR BOYS AND
PONIES.
Hard Runs and High Jumps-The In
terest That Horses Took in the Sport
Riders Often Left in Creeks or
Hanging from Boughs. v

One of the games boys played on
horse back in California in my day
was hide-and-seek. 1t was exciting
sport, says the New York Commercial
Advertiser. AS | recall incidents OF
the game they seem to me now to have
been dangerous, but that is a mature
view, which never occurred to us then.
Our favorite place for the fun was on
the edge of a neglected park, with a
creek running through it. and another
crossed field nearby. Both Of these
were hard jumps, especially for some
of the ponies. But there were several
good jumps, five or six over three or
four board fences, two over hedges,
and fallen trees were innumerable.
The great advantage Of this place,
however, Eas perfectly straight road
along the side Of the park We meas
ured off distance Of about 300 yards
down the road from the nearest bunch
of woods. For this distance there was
no obstacle except on one side, fence
too huge to take. 1t was the home
stretch to the line We drew with our
spurs across the road, and many were
the hot races down it.
For the game was to pick boy to
be cit" Usually the fastest horse de-
cided that point. The boy who rode
him had to count 100 or 200 to give the
others time to scatter off into the
woods, across the creeks and down any
of the many side roads, paths, trails
out of sight Since everything was
clear off east of the home mark, all the
riders went off to the west before they
left the main, straight road. After
that they could ride any distance in
any direction.
But they did not go far, for the pur-
pose of each boy was to get back
either undetected to the home mark, or
if seen. to ride across this line before
1T" did, and he tried to ride cautiously
after us, slipping along on his horse at
a walk, while he peered into the woods
and high brush to catch a glimpse OF
boy or horse When he saw one he
called the riders name and rode for
home, unless the fellow caught gave in
to save the horses wind And if ''it'
called a boy from a position between
home and the hiding place, this usually
happened. This wasn't easy to do,
however, for the lay of the land was
such that the outs could work around,
moving north or south from the main
road and then eastward, while cit had
to hunt sometimes half a mile from
home and far off on one side or the
Then when he was off the road beat
ing uD after the sound of horses one
way he would catch the rattle of hoofs
from the other way or see flying pony
and would have to put back for race
to home base. 1t was disgrace to let
mere than one or two riders in without
a contest. Well-mounted men liked to
be 'it" so as to make high records,
Vas very great.
All the horses, however, learned the
game and enjoyed it. Indeed, it was
their interest in the sport that made it
would not see cit" coming, the horse
would, and at the familiar call would
dash for home regardless of low
boughs and trees close together. It
was a common occurrence for a pony
to get home safe, but without his
mount, so common that it was point
long unsettled whether this should
count safe or not. Sometimes we
would agree before game that it
should, sometimes that it should not.
"It" had to be a good horseman, for
his horse, put on the alert by his
cautious movements, would listen and
watch, and at the slightest sound OF
running hoofs would whirl and dart
off at full speed. Fences were taken by
horses with unready riders, creeks re-
ceived boys who could not keer up
with their horses, and brush and the
limbs of trees often kept them back,
suspended till help came.
Getting Even.