The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1902-03-20

when l chirruped and told her to go
on ABOUT her business. For perhaps a
minute she stood still, but when
raised my quirt and made a motion as
II was going to bring it down on her
rough side, she laid her ears back OF.
her neck and switched her tail with
menace in every movement. nae
never quarreled with her before, but
l was provoked and finally struck hex
with the whip. She quiyered all over
but made no effort to obey me. Again
brought the lash down and at the
same time drove home my rather cruel
Mexican spurs. She turned and gave
me look that l will never forget as
long as l live, and said as distinctly as
anything | ever heard: We'll, look out
for yourself, I'm going to town Der
remark was only barely finished when
she added: Cling tight with your
knees, this is bad place
! Il saw that she was about to start
| quick, so l 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 distance that seemed TO me
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
| bowlder about the size OF a frelght
| 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
swerved out, and for a fraction OF
second we hung over preclplce near
| IN 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 to remember even now. The dow
must have been powerful one, Tor as
| she Scraped past felt the girths give
and heard the rending tear OF the web
| bling as it gave way. Down went, but
| luckily on the hillside in the trail.
struck hard enough TO render me I'M
conscious. ] suppose must have been
! where fell for several minutes before
| / came to, and then ! 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 | ever saw.
"GIe 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 will not de-
| liberately go hunting for trouble, and
will not modest a person if the person
will treat him with the same measure
! of consideration. | looked at the rat
| tier, and | guess he looked me over
pretty carefully, and believe did not
| find much favor in his sight, for after
| a few moments of Embarrassing 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. | thought the limb
was broken, but pretty soon | found
| that | could wiggle my toes, and con
sequently was immensely relieved.
| But, to my dismay, when | tried to get
up from where | had fallen | found
| that could not bear any of my weight
| on the injured leg. There | 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
| could not be reasonably expected be-
| fore about four o'clock. ! had just de-
termincd to crawl along the trail and
| find some sort of shelter, when j
| raised my head and saw Dolly without
| the saddle walking sedately around
| the bend in the side of the mountain.
| called to her and she slowly came
up to where l lay, and after looking me
| all over with distinct disapproval al
| lowed me to pull myself up by her legs
and after a struggle to throw my in
| iured limb across her bare back. My
| head was swimming, and to use a com
mon expression I was all out But
| put my arms around that old mares
neck and She carried me back to camp.
| Now if a man ever could learn any
[ thing about a horse by rights ought
to be that man, but do you know il
was fully two weeks before | realized
that the mare had smelled or heard
| the snake rattle, and stood still behinC
the rock III order to give his snakeshiI
a chance to get out of the trail. Thel
when | remember that she came baci
to me and carried me to camp when
was sorely injured, | surely ought to
have been able to gather lesson in
horse sense from it, but in my ignor-
ance thought il had just happened
No, you can never tell about horse"
N, o. Times-Democrat.