The Press., 1900-03-29

forced to steal In at night for drink
from the big tanks in the corral. 1t
had passed into saying on the Costa
Rica and other ranches around when a
particularly bad spell of drought oc-
CURED, that II was bad enough to bring
the red mare home.
sold -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
messenger was gone he explained to
me that Pablo was one Of the most
noted runners Of the tribe, and as the
red mare was fit for nothing but kill
ing 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 feet 4 and weighed about
$50, all bone and whipcord. He was
black as lead idol, and as nearly max
ed as the law allowed. He was bare
footed, too, but the old don explained
to me that none Of the Serbs ever wore
anything on his feet, which was the
way their trail was always to be dis
tinguished from a Papago's. Encinas
explained to Pablo that he was going
to turn the red mare loose in the morn
ing, and that If Pablo could give her
ten feet start and catch her in 300
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 shifting 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 a
vaquero. was sent inside to get the
broncho started and the bars were let
down.
"Pablo was waiting just at the open
Ing, guiltless of any adornment except
q breechclout and a. big butcher knife
strapped to his hip. 1t would be strain
Ing the term to call him a bronze
Adonis or Apollo or any other old
Greek deity, for he wasn't. But such
another human greyhound l have new
er seen. Standing feet and lean as
Pharaoh's kline, he hardly gave prom.
ise of the power that was really in
him. Dark as a negro, but with long,
straight hair falling almost to his
shoulders, and his white teeth gleam-
ing as he occasionally moistened his
lips, he had a sinister look like one of
the old Ethiopian strangers out of the
and great race horse chest were his
most striking features, and If it had
not been for those and his broad hips,
his wasplike waist and sunken aldo
men would have made him look almost
delicate.
"As the vaquero rode into the corral
the broncho mare started for the open
gate. She SHE'D from the little CROWD
outside and swept around the Enclosure
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 a spring coil
ed up ready to be released.
"The red mare came round again al
gallop, and, as the vaquero made q
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 g
standing start against a flying one
and by the time he had got into his
stride she had increased her lead to Ii
or 20 feet. She headed straight across
the wide, dusty clearing like a deer
seeking cover, and the Seri at her flank
| going her jump for jump. 1t was q
race for blood, case of beast against
beast. for the big. black, naked figure
looked like wolf more than a man
and bounded free like a wolf at full
stretch.
"Half way across the clearing he had
closed up the gap again. Then a 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 a
minute in a cloud of dust. AS it clear.
ed away we saw the knife fash at he1
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 l believe II
would have cut considerably under
any existing record" -New York Sun.