The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-12-10

have YOU ever seen the critser before?"
Certainly not" was the calm reply.
'Why2"
well, I'm blowed! Boys, there's suth-
in in religin after all"
While he was thus expressing himself
Jeb leaped into the saddle, and in a mo-
ment more he was riding around the place
as easy as you please Blazes single
footed, dog-trotted and cantered, and you'd
have thought she was a Christmas-tree-
rocking-horse, for all the ugliness she
showed then.
Pretty soon Jeb rode her up to where
We were standing and dismounted. Then
he stood with one arm over her neck
while he scratched her jaw with the other
hand, and all the time she stood like a
kitten, winking and blinking at the boys
as though she would like to give them the
laugh if she knew how
Who owns her?" asked the parson
you do, Jeb; you've earned her. said
Old Mack; and he walked away with a
scowl on his face.
Well, Jeb was delighted, and he listened
with amazement when we told him what
circus we'd been having. 1t was plain
that he did not believe all of it, and pres
entity led her away to the stable took, the
saddle off and tied her. There was only
a pole between the horses, and Jeb hadn't
ting, when there was the worst racket in
that stable you ever heard. You'd have
thought that Rebs were after us for the
noise and tumult The horses neighed and
squealed, and you could hear boards splin-
tering and timbers falling, and the devil
was to pay. Blazes had kicked herself
loose, laid up two horses, SCARED for life
a half dozen more. and paved her way
right through the back of that place to
liberty. She was pointed for home too,
when Jeb saw her.
Here, your he yelled; and she stopred
and waited while he went up and caught
her
We fixed up the stable, but we passed
a unanimous resolution that Blazes
couldn't tarry there any more, so the par
son took her about twenty rods away and
tied her to fence. Then he gave her some
oats, and you'd have thought she was he
three graces rolled into enc. she was so
quiet; but it didn't last long.
She finished her cats, and maybe she got
tired. or thirsty, or something. Anyhow
she pulled away one section of the fence
and broke loose from that, and then she
started for the stable again. Some of us
heard the horses squealing and kicking
and we went down 10 see what was the
matter, and I'm blessed if Blazes wasn't
trying to eat them. Sled reach in and axe
a mouthful of loose flesh, set her teeth on
IL anu buHis anu tiGil Wi6Il me morse Sfc
was biting kicked, she'd wheel and kick
too. After hat, we made Jeb lie her with
a chain, and always to something that she
could not pun apart.
There wasn't thing that lived hat could
get within reach Of her-except Jeb-with-
out being hurt, but she never tried to IN
jure him, and l never saw man so 70 ID
of anything as he was OF Blazes. She
ruined len horses, kicked one mule to
death and another one so that we had to
kill him, and she tore the c'othes all off
of niger who tried to feed her one day;
but il got to be an old story afi er while,
and we didn't ray much attention.
Nobody will ever foreet The first time
she was seen in a fight. You'd have
thought she was human, frcm the Asnse
she showed and a fiend incarnate from
the way she fought Our company had been
out on a sortie, and we were on our way
home, everybody giving Jeb and Blazes
wide BERTH for she'd kick and bite every-
thing i'm reach On tFe road as wen as in
the stable, when we came pp-n a detach-
ment of rebel cavalry between US and
home They had more men Than we did.
but there was only one thing to do and
that was 10 charge-and we did it.
Old Mac gave the word, and we started
yelling like so many devi s, intending 10
cut our way through end keep ii hi on.
l was abrea of Jeb when we got he word
ana 1 never saw anNtnDS made of flesh
and blood do what Rfazes did then Jeb
couldn't hold her any more than you could
hold a cyclone, 5nd she ran like streak
of lightn nS. In the hrty or forty rods b.
tween us and the rebs she got more than
two rods ahead Of the rest of us, so she
struck The line first. III bet she covered
thirty feet at every jump, and finally she
took an almighty plunge in o the a r, and
landed plump on top Of a rebel sergeant
and his horse, kro k ng them 10 down
as easy as she would blade of grass.
You should nave seen her then She
reared and plunged, struck with her fore
feet. kicked with her hind ones, and she
used her teeth like a tiger. Shed grab
a rebel horse by the throat and tear out
a chunk of flesh; she'd seize a man by
the leg or arm and pull him out of the
saddle and trample upon him quicker
than you could knock him out with a
saber; and every time she had chance
she'd jump into the air and land right
on top of horse and rider, and then bite
and tear and strike her way through or
past the next one she met l don't see
how Jeb ever stayed on her back but he
did, and he came out without a scratch.
too. Nobody ever made fun of Rlazes
after that brush; but her greatest fight
was her last one.
Wed been out on a scouting and for
aging expedition and were on our wav
back when we had that set-to. There
were only ten of US, and we thought we
had got past the point where we were
likely to fall in with any rebs. when we
saw fun company of Confederate cav
airy come over the top Of a knoll not
a quarter of a mile away. they saw