Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1906-10-17
fianted Down.
BY C.SB. LEWIS
Copprtoht, 1905. op r.. b. Mccurc
BY c.sB. LEWIS
csppsoAs. 1905. ov 4. .. Mocure

I Copyttoht, 1905. bp n. b. McC7ure
S>s-.-s-.-.-.-.-.~.-.-s-.
When the men sent out by the Big
-Four Cattle company In search OF new
pasturage reached the Wind river val
ley almost the first thing their eyea
) rested on was drove Of wiIf horses
numbering thirty. The drove was led
by stallion whose grace and beauty
elieited unbounded admiration. Some
the drove had escaped from bond
Hge to roam the plains free from the
restraints OF man, but the leader had
surely been foaled in some quiet cove
among the foothills, and his mother
nad Kept guard over him while the
timber wolves CT Glea around and
CRASHED their teetl In hunger.
He had been born as free as the air
about him, and when his muscles had
hardened he had galloped with a herd
/ up and down the valley for 200 miles
north and south. He had braved the
fierce winters. the cunning OF the
wolves, the spring OF the mountain
Lion, the greed and cruelty Of the red
man. There he stood at the head Of
his drove. fye or six years old, black
az midnight with the exception Of the
white star on his forehead, and there
were beauty and defiance about
him that appealed to the little band
all but one.
"See me put a bullet inside that
starW he said as he pointed h!s s!ne.
IT you do. will put one through
J. your headF' replied the leader, and he
fwas backed up by his two companions.
For Ave minutes every horse in the
drove stood there with head and tail
up and nostrils Quivering and TANKS
heaving, and then at signal from
their leader they were away like the
wind.
II was through these men that the
Big -Four OUTFIT heard Of the black
horse. The coming Of men and cattle
drove him and his fellows down to the
south end Of the valley, a hundred
miles away, but now and then they
seemed to have longing 10 revisit the
old pastures, and they came sweeping
back. They never came during the
day, but always ON moonlight night,
and the frst any one knew of their
presence was the sound OF their thud-
ding hoofs. Three times In the course
of year they stampeded the cattle,
and then the foreman ordered their de-
struction. The next time they came
sweeping MP the valley they were to be
made targets Of.
There was grumbling among the men.
A drove Of wild horses Is always a
peril to herd OF steers. but It went
against the grain Of the men born In
freedom themselves to shoot down
other Of Gods creatures. Tbs wolf.
the coyote, the lion-yea, they were
mans enemies, but the wild horses
were his friends. II they were not un-
der his hand and obedient to him they
were still his friends. Ever since men
and horses were. bond OF friendship
has existed between them. When the
horses came again few shots were
fred. one or two wounded, perhaps.
and the herd escaped material damage.
The foreman saw how 1t was with his
cowboys. 1t was 30 with his own con-
science. and he did not blame them.
But the drove must 60. There were
men over at San Bias who would do
anything for money, even TO the taking
Of human life. For certain price per
head they undertook to exterminate
the drove. There were four Of them,
and they rode away secretly and swore
the foreman to secrecy. They had to.
The cowboys would have called 1t MUIR
der and demanded revenge The few
Bettlers along the foot Of the mountains
were rough and hardy men who were
AnoItnD xxvt< ~ <,., TO- 49,
they would not have tolerated the
slaughter
The quartet found the drove and be-
gan the work. Sometimes tho men
killed from the saddle and sometimes
they skuiked ana sneaked ON foot and
approached their gama as the panther
does. It was from no feeling Of senti-
ment that they spared the black horse
It had been agreed from the first to
spare him till tho last and then seek
ITO capture him alive. It took weeks to
inish the rest OF the drove, When the
horses found death ON their trail they
left the broad pastures and sought the
green coves, making far into the noun
tains. They spread out 80 as to leave
no trail and ceased to whinny. BY
oay they hid themselves among the
pines and cedars and came out only at
night to feed.
The mountain lions aided the hunt
ers. They ambushed horse after horse
and pulled them down, and the fierce
timber wolves kept the living In a
state of terror. To the north were the
cattlemen, to the south advancing
civilization. The poor horses were
hemmed between.