Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1900-10-25
will lain and always 10 something


feed her one day; but it got TO be IN old
story after awhile. and We didn't pay
much attention.
Nobody will ever forget the first time
she WAS seen in u fight You'd have
thought she was human. from the sense
she showed, and tiend incarnaie from
the way she fought.
Our company had been out on sor-
tie and we were on our way home. every
body giving Jeb and Blazes wide
berth, for she'd kick and bite every
thing in reach on the road as well as in
the stable. when we came upon de-
tachment 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
Il.
was abreast OF Jeb when we got the
word, and never saw anything mnde
OF flesh and blood do what Blales did
then. Jeb couldn't bold her any more
than you could hold a cyclone, and she
ran like a streak Of lightning. nihe 30
or 30 rods between us and the cOnfed.
crates she got more than TWO rods
ahead OF the rest Of us. so she struck the
line first. III BET She co'ertd 80 feet al
every jump. and finally she took anad
mighty plunge into The air. and lnBGed
plump On top OF q confederate sergeant
and his horse, Knocking them both
down as easily as she would blade OF
grnss.
She reared and plunged, struck with
her forefeet, kicked with her bind ones,
and she used her teeth like tigrr.
Shed grab rebel horse by the throat
and tear out chiInk OF hrAh; sheo
seize n man by The leg or tie arm. and
pull him ont ofihe saddle and irample
upon him quicker han yournud knock
him out with salnr, and every time
she had chance she'd Jumpinlo 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.
don't see how Jeb ever stayed on her
back, but be did, and be came out with
out a scratch, too Nobody ever made
fun of Blazes after that brush. but her
greatest fight was her last one.
We'd been out on scouting and for
aging expedition and were on our way
back when we Ind that sei.lo Their
were only ten OF Us. and we thought w
had got past the point where we wer'
likely 10 fall In with any rebs. wher
we saw fun company OF confederate
cavalry come over the top OF O knoll
not n quarter OF mile away.
There was no use for MS TO try torun.
for we would only have run into theii
lines, and there wasn't a man there
who wanted TO surrender, so we yelled
back aud started TO meet them.
We came together, and In second
we were all mixed up Ihey surround
ed us like flies around honey pot. We
were so Few thnt we could not keep
together, and every man fought foi
himself regardless OF the others. sun
everybody could tell where BlnHes wns
oil the time. by the commoiion she
kicked up; aud when in night IKE that
NsfN '"Fb
motion to be noticed, you can bet it's
moving.
lgot bullet through my rlgbtshoul
der and another one In my left arm and
] was helpless; and just then my horse
got saber clip on the side OF his head
which sent him crazy and somehow. he
managed to Kick himself out OF the
melee before he dropped which he did
with one OF my legs under him; bui
] was where could'see the hight, and !
kept my eyes on Bla7es.
just ms ] discovered her, ! saw Jeb
Smith pitch head first out OF bis saddle.
and knew that the parson was done
for.
Blazes seemed to know II, too, She
bad been wild before, but she became
perfect demon then. She must have
known that she had no rider and most
horses quit lighting when the man Is
gone of from their bncks; but she
didn't. She only got wilder andwent In
for vengeance.
She no longer paid any attention TO
the horses, but she went for The men.
and whenever she grabbed one she liter
ally tore him apart Hundreds OF shots
were fired at her, and her body was
covered with blood FROM the saber cuis
she had received but she paved ana
kicked and tore with her boots and
teeth, turning like cat, and bounding
abou, with the ease and grnce Of a
panther.
Then. when most OF our men had gone
down. and when practically all that
there was LEFT for the rebsto fight was
that wild mare, there was another yell
frnm the tnn nI tho hill md |
-