The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-10-20

The animal was years old and had
been sold to the government as
broke" horse His back. indeed,
showed the saddle marks. He had been
ridden. or, rather, he had been mount
ed, and he knew that the battle of the
day was before him. 1t was the utter
viciOusness of him which led him to
walk so quietly from the corral Black
as night. not an inch more than fifteen
hands high his curly name sweeping
half way TO his knees. his abundant
tail reaching within six inches of the
ground, with small head. massive neck
set into sloping. huge shoulders; pow
erful quarters. strangely small hOOfs,
and closely coupled, he stood a mus
tang of the mustangs. His rolling eyes
showed an expanse of white. and with
In each of his widely haring ncstrtfs
there was disk of brilliant red Upon
his bullying chest the foam fakes hung
and the cruel bit was tightly grasped
between his teeth The head was up
and held slightly back as though upon
his native hills he snuffed some faint
upon the breeze and sought its cause.
The pose expressed strength, beauty,
grace, speed. and, above all, defiance.
The right hOOf smOte the ground saw
agely as he waited for the struggle
The man grasped the Teins in his left
hand and also many strands of flow
ing name. His right hand rested on
the pommel His left foot was inserted
softly and deity into the broad, heavy
wooden stirrup. The horse from a
corner of his wicked eye. watched the
move, but did not stir. The man
sprang an inch from the ground, as if
preparing to vault into the saddle. The
horse, up to every trick devised by the
VaQuerOs in a land of vaquerOs, was
motionlesS. Next instant the man was
firmly seated, his muscular knees Aug
ging the sides of his mount with all
his force. his form lightly balanced, his
face upturned and his right arm hang
ing loosely at his side. There was a
lightning leap straight upward,
crushing stiff legged fall, another leap,
another a whirl swifter than the
swallows dart and one tremen-
dous spring straight forward. Chi
lis body rose from the sad
die as if fired from a catapult,
described a complete turn and land
ed on the brush fence which enclosed
the corral. With a thousand thorns
pricking him. he rolled off, jerking his
legs spasmodically and swearing horri-
bly,. He was not in the least hurt, but
enraged to the edge of lunacy. The
man with the scar, assuming an air Of
preternatural gravity, asked if he knew
what state he was in. The occasion
was too great for words.
He walked stiffiy to his tent and dis
appeared.
The black. with his unconquerable
AOuSinS LOT freedom ndQ hlCktu once
viciously at the spot where he supposed
his foe had fallen and then dashed
away A dozen riders were in pursuit.
He was soon penned in a corner of the
enclosure and led back By the lariat
which dangled from his neck.
Chambers stepped forward saluted,
and, talking to Colonel Wood. as ETH
quette demanded. but at Roosevelt
said:
- should like to be allowed to try
the horse, sir. 1 think 1 can ride him"
Why said Wood. this is a new
face. think. Where are you from. my
man?''
bar c ranch. Badwater county,
Wyoming" was the answer.
'AH right" said the colonel. I'VE
want the horse ridden. He seems too
valuable an animal to condemn"
Chambers turned and approached the
black, which again stood quietly. The
rough riders. anxious to see new
hand tried. gathered as closely as they
dared. Interest in the previous at
tempt was so great that drill had been
suspended and the young fellow had
the entire regiment as specta tors He
knew shat his work was cut out for
him. Some peculiar and indescribable
wave of magnetism passed from him to
the animal or from the animal to him.
The horse recognized instantly that
there was foeman such as he had
never encountered and the great heart
of him beat for joy of the struggle.
Chambers impatiently waved back
some men who volunteered to hold the
animal while he mounted. He stepped
toward him with a confident air., As
he did so the black lowered and eX-
tended his head his eyes flashed fire
and he came straight with jaws wide
charging as a fighting stallion charges
Chambers noted the rush barely in
time. He leaped lightly to one side
landing upon his left foot. threw back
his massive shoulders, half turned. and.
as the lean head shot past him. sent
in a blow that would have shivered a
plank. It caught the black fairly upon
the head, just below the eye, and ten
feet further on. carried thus far by
the impetus, he sank upon his knees.
He was up again in an instant and
whirled to look at the man who had
struck him. Chambers walked calmly
toward him, gathered the reins and
name IN his left hand. and, without
checking step or pause Of any kind,
vaulted clearly into the saddle and
sent both spurs home.
There came from the fiery dweller in
the wind blown Mexican hills d hoarse
scream, or below. of demOniac rage.
Throwing his head down until his nose
was within "A foot of the dust. arching
his back until the man and the saddle
seemed set upon a pinnacle, gathered
his mighty limbs under him until the
hind hoofs almost touched the front
fetlOcks, he began a series of leaps of
incOnceivable rapidity and seemingly
impossible height. Each time that he
rose a good seven feet of daylight shone
under him, and when he struck ground
the jar of il could be felt by the men
standing ten yards away Round and
round and round, gOing higher and
higher, leaping frontward, backward
and sideways. his hind hOofs sometimes
shifting the swinging stirrups, some
times extended straight in the air
behind him, his dark eyes rolling in
frenzy, his long name tossing like a
/ black banner in the breeze. the strands
of il whipping the rider upon the
cheeks, the spume flying from his open
mouth lather lying like the crests of
surges along his giant limbs, the black
horse strove his mightiest. Chambers
caught the stirrups al last, although
they had flown upward and banged
against his skull until we'll nigh all
| sense was gone. and then he could in
some measure break the terrible shock
of those returns to earth. In all his
/ life in Wyoming he had backed no such
/ horse, nor was there a second in which
/ he had any surety Of retaining his seat.
All the stubborn fighting Angle Saxon
/ in him was afiame, however, and he
said to himself that he would die if ii
were necessary TO win, but he would