The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1902-03-07

minute she stood still, but when 1
raised my quirt and made a motion as
If was going to bring it down on her
rough side, she laid her ears back on
her neck and switched her tail with
menace IN. every movement I had
never quarreled with her before, but
I was provoked and finally struck her
with the whip. She quiyered all over,
z but made no effort 10 obey me- Again
1 brought the lash down and at the
4 same time drove home my rather cruel
? Mexican spurs. She turned and gave
I me a look that I VIII never forget as
\ long as live, and said as distinctly as
( anything I ever heard; Well, look out
for yourself, I'm going to town Her
7 remark was only barely finished when
/ she added: Cling tight with your
! knees, this is a bad place
/ Il saw that she was about to start
I quick, so 1 settled myself IN the saddle
and she certainly did start She left
! the place where she had been standing
and shot right straight out into the
air for a distance that seemed to me
a hundred feet. When she landed we
were still In the deer trail and she
made several more astounding leaps.
The hair on my head stood upright
between the effects Of the wind and
my fright. On the mountain side OF
the trail, right ahead OF US, was a
bOwlder about the size Of a freight
car, and beyond it several other
stones Of smaller size. Now that was
the particular spot in the whole
length Of the trail that frightened me
most. In passing over it before had
said more prayers than ever said be-
fore or since that summer. The big
bOwlder projected so far over the
trail that my leg often came gently in
contact with it when we passed that
way. In order to pass the rock Dolly
sweryed out, and for a fraction Of
second we hung over a precipice near
Is half a mile above the rocky bottom
of the canyon She had to almost bend
her body in order to regain the course
of the trail after passing the rock, and
in doing so my left leg came against
the rock with a force that makes me
sick 20 remember even now. The blow
must have been a powerful one, for as
she scraped past ] felt the girths give
and heard the rending tear of the web
bling as il gave way Down 1 went, but
luckily on the hillside in the trail. 1
struck hard enough 10 render me IN
conscious. IsuppOse L must have been
where / fell for several minutes before
/ came to, and then 1 learned my les
son. About ten feet from my head, /
cOiled. and with head and tail ready to
do business, was the grandfather Of
all the rattlesnakes i ever saw.
He was in a most perturbed state Of
mind, too, shaking his rattles and NOV
ing his head slowly from side to side.
had read that RATHER viii not de-
Hberately 60 hunting for trouble, and
viii not modest a person If the person !
viii treat him with the same measure
of consideration. L looked at the rat
tier, and 1 guess he looked me over |
pretty carefully, and believe did not |
find much favor IN his sight, for after |
a few moments of hair-raising sus- |
Pense on my part, he slowly crawled !
away and lost Himself in the rocks. |
BY that time the pain in my leg had |
succeeded the numbness which fol- /
lowed the shock 1 thought the limb /
was broken, but pretty soon found /
that I could wiggls my toes, and con-
sequently was immensely relieved. /
y n
up from where I had fallen 1 found /
that I could not bear any of myweight /
on the injured leg. There I was on the /
side Of a mountain ten miles from /
camp, In the middle of the blazing day. |
Furthermore, / knew that the first /
person who would pass that way was /
one Of the timekeePers, and that he 1
could not be reasonably expected be /
fore about four o'clock. / had Just de- \
termined to crawl along the trail and I
find some sort Of shelter, when ] /
raised nv head and saw Dolly without /
the saddle walking sedately around \
the bend in the side of the mountain. \
I called to her and she slowly came \
up 10 where Law, and after looking me \
all over with distinct disapproval al \
lowed me to pull myself up by her less /
and after a struggle to throw my in I
jured limb across her bare back. Ny /
head was swimming, and to use a com
mon expression i was all out But I \
put my arms around that old mares !
neck and she carried me back to camp. I
Now If man ever could learn any
thing about a horse I BIZ rights ought /
to be that man, but do you know IL 4
was fully two weeks before 1 realized i
that the mare had smelled or heard /
the snake rattle, and stood stin behind 4
the rock in order to give his snakeshiP-
a chance to get out Of the trail. Then 4
when I remember that she came back
to me and carried me TO camp when I 4
was sorely injured, surely ought ts 4
have been able to gather a lesson in
horse sense from Il, but in my ignor-
ance I thought 1t had Just happened
No, you can never tell about a horse
N. o. Times-DemOcrat