The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1907-08-03
RANGE HORSES WITH HEARTS.

AtAAoRPihS ouOIuGl MolC . $OAS: oSA-
ed stockman from Tee Dee, Mon. /,
who drifted into town last week with
acarload of horses off the range. "It
isn't exactly common, still scarcely a
spring passes with its crop of young
colts that I don't have one or two
cases right in my own house bunch.
"You can't work much among
horses-or cattle, either, for that mat
ter-without coming up against their
friendships and their dislikes. And
even mules-Western mules, that is
sometimes show a genuine affection
and something enough like conscience
and what in man you'd call profess
sional pride to be taken for them.
"The kidnapping of colts generally
takes place after the first colt or two
have come. The first colt is always
an -ohiaG,t of -trst. ~uuvuS ins-s~S. ~
the rest of the bunch. The grown
ups hang around it, they watch its
every movement, protect II, pet it.
It's like the first baby born toa young
couple, with big circle of adoring
uncles and aunts and grandpas and
grandmas standing around worship
ping it. Sometimes this affection
will run away with one of the mares.
especially if she has lost her own colt.
She will hang around colt trying TO
enlist its affections, with a view to
coaxing it away from its mother, and
some fine day she will sneak away
with it. Of course the true mother
is frantic at the loss of her kid and I
have to drop everything and restore
the lost child to its rightful parent.
Sometimes the colt prefers to stay
with the wicked, designing mare.
Sometimes it runs back to its mother
with every show of Joy. Either way,
it's a clear case of kidnapping.
"These Western range animals
have lots of the old Adam In them,
meaning what was good in Adam as
we'll as what was bad. Take the
friendships of horses for one another,
for instance. There's something very
pretty in that.
"Horses run together in punches or
groups. These punches are like big
families or clans or fraternities. The
horses of bunch get so attached to
one another that it is impossible to
separate them on the range.
"Say you want couple of mares
out of bunch. Do you think you
can Just ride out and bring them in!
No, sir. You'll take every horse in
the bunch or none at all. They stick
close together, herding one another,
watching out that the weak old ones
and the little young ones don't get
cornered out or left behind, and the
leader-every bunch has its leader
will see to 1t that you take 'em all.
If want to brand one colt have to
corral all the 80 in my house bunch.
cts only Western range horses,
so far as I know, that develnp friend
ship like this. In other sections it's
every horse for himself and the devil
take the hindmost. There's just as
much difference between a Blue
Grass horse and Montana bronc as
between a Kentucky Colonel and a
Custer county cowboy. Kentucky
horses are that selfish.
"We Montana fellows had an illus
tration of this difference at the begin
ming of the war with Spain. At
Chickamauga we had Kentucky
horses for mounts.
"The first night after we had re-
ported we turned our horses loose in
the country outside the town, sup
posing of course they'd stick together
through the night like broncos and
that next morning man could go out
and bring them in.
"But instead of punching together
and keeping punched in the chummy,
sooner had each horse slipped his
bride than he lit out for a corner where
he could be by himself.
"When morning came the Mon
tana cowboys were in despair. But
bring in the horses they must, so
Bert James and one or two other fell
lows went out after the ponies with
their ropes.
"James succeeded at last in locating
his own horse and roping it. And
then there was something doing sure.
"Old Kentucky had never seen
rope before, had never seen one de-
scend, writhing and Kissing through
tne air, over the head and around the
neck of any of his acquaintance, much
less his own. AS he feltit Tightening
about his windpipe he naturally tried
to shake it, rearing and plunging,
now standing on his hind legs, now
boiling, until he had pranced and
sidestepped plumb into a tent that
happened to be in his way.
Flames stayed with him till he had
succeeded in getting hackamore on
his head. By that time the tent look.
ed as if Kansas cyclone had struck
It. The pegs had been pulled out,
the sides gashed, the guy ropes snap
ped and the whole top had collapsed.
"a voice came out of the ruins.
"'Who are your it demanded in
a tone of authority.
"Bert James, Montana First Vol
unteers.
"'Well, I don't want this thing to
happen again, went on the voice that
was used to being obeyed.
The cowboy faced about in the di-
rection from which it came.
"'You blankety, blank, blank,
blank he thuudered, do you think
we want it to happen again?'
"Then he chanced to look up.
Towering above him out of the wreck
age of the tent stood Gen. Grant.
"There was a twinkle in his blue
eyes.
Young man. he said sweetly
to the Montana cowboy, you want
to be little more subordinate in the
future or you'll get into trouble.