Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1906-09-13

III MEAT liiite lit E<iftu ID puts IL AcTS
I'll libel her for damages.
Yet In the face of this threat tile FL
len b cast Off her hawsers, spread her
sails and stood up the lake bound Chi
cagow ward through the strait with Blue
Blazes still on board. Not a man-jack
of the crew would venture into the
forehoId, where Blue Blazes was still
harnessed to the capstan bars.
When he had been without water or
grain for some twelve hours the wrath
Ia him, which had for days been grow
ing more intense, boiled over. Hav-
ing voiced his rage in raucous squeals,
he took to chewing the bride strap and
to kicking the whiffietree. The deck
watch gazed down at him IN awe. The
watch below. separated from him only
by thin partition, expressed profane
disapDroval Of shipping such pas
senger.
There was no sleep on the Ellen B.
that night About in the morning the
continued effort of Blue Blazes met
with reward The halter strap parted,
and the stout oak whiffietree was splin-
tered into many pieces. For some
minutes Blue Blazes explored the hold
until he found the gangplank leading
upward
His appearance on the deck Of the
Ellen B. caused something like pam
ic. The man at the wheel abandoned
his post, and as he started for the
crosstrees let loose a yell which brought
up all hands. Blue Blazes charged
them with open mouth. Not a man
hesitated to jump for the rigging. The
schooner's head came up into the wind,
the jib sheet blocks ratified idly and
the booms swung lazily across the
deck, just grazing the ears Of Blue
Biazes, - ----s< :,
How long the roam might have held
the deck had not his thirst been great
er than his hate cannot be told. Water
was what he needed most, for his
throat seemed burning, and just over
side was an immensely of water. So
he leaped. Probably the crew of the
Ellen b. believe to this day that they
escaped by a miracle from devil pos
sessed horse who, finding them beyond
his reach, committed suicide.
But Blue Blazes had not thought of
self destruction. After swallowing as
much lake water as was good for him
he struck out boldly for the shore,
which was not more than half mile
distant, swimming easily in the slight
swell. Gaining the log strewn beach,
he found himself at the edge of one Of
those ghostly, fire blasted tamarack
forests which cover great sections of
the upper end of Michigan's southern
peninsula At last he had escaped
from the hateful bondage Of man.
Contentedly he fell to cropping the
coarse beach grass which grew at the
forests edge.
For many long days Blue Blazes rev
eled in his freedom, sometimes wan
dering for miles into the woods, some
times ranging the beach in search of
better pasturage. Water there was
aplenty, but food was difficult to find.
He even browsed bushes and tree
twigs. At first he expected momenta-
rily to see appear one of his enemies
man. He heard imaginary voices in
the beat of the waves, the creaking of
wind tossed treetops, the cav Of crows
or in the faint whistlings of distant
steamers. He began to look suspi-
ciously behind knobs and stumps. But
for many miles up and down the coast
was no port, and the only evidences he
had Of man were the sails of passing
schooners or the trailing smoke plumes
of steamboats,.
Not since he could remember had
Blue Blazes been so long without feel
ing whip laid over his back. Still he
was not wholly content. He felt a
strange uneasiness, was conscious of
longing other than a desire for good
feed of oats. Although he knew it not,
Blue Blazes, who hated men as few
horses have ever hated them, was lone
some. He yearned for human society.
When at last man did appear ON the
beach the horse whirled and dashed
into the woods. But be ran only q
short distance. Soon he picked his way
back to the lake shore and gazed curl
ously at the intruder. The man was
making fire of driftwood. Blue Blazes
approached him cautiously. The man
was bending over the fire, tanning it
with his hat. In moment he looked up.
a half minute, perhaps more, horse
and man gazed at each other Probably
it was moment of great surprise for
them both. Certainly it was for the
man. Suddenly Blue Blazes prickea
his ears forward and whinnied. 1t was
an unmistakable whinny of friendli-
ness If not of glad recognition. The
man on the beach had red hair-hair
Of the homeIiest red you could imagine.
Also he had eyes of the color of ripe
gooseberries.
You see." said LATE, in explaining
the matter afterward, II was hunting
for burls. / had seen 'em first when
I was about sixteen. It was once when
lot of MS went I'D on the steamer