Amador ledger. (Jackson, Amador County, Calif.) 1875-19??, 1907-12-27
Observation-Disclosures
The White Foot Horse.

copyright, 1907. by M. M. Cunningham
The wild white foot horse of the
plains was known for 200 miles north
and south of the Three Bar ranch. He
was a sorrel stallion with one white
fore foot
For a year the white foot horse en-
joyed immunity. Then he began rob-
bling the Three Bar ranch Colonel
Miller, the owner, was raising horses
and mules for the market. Despite
the vigilance of the riders by day the
sorreI would mingle with the herds and
coax from three to a dozen head away
at once.
A Mexican cowboy came riding up
and asked for work about the place.
foreman shook his head The colonel
looked at the stranger for moment,
saw that he had fine broncho under
him and then said:
"Have you ever heard of the white
foot horse?"
AYE, senior, as who has notY' was
the reply.
HE must be either captured or kill
ed. I want to try capture first. To
run him down you must have two
more bronchos, and you must have pro-
visions for month. Can you trail
him until he is finally tired out? If so,
I will outfit you and give you 5000 the
day you bring him in"
ISL, senior. want work, and I will
bring you the white foot horse"
1t took the man a week to make his
arrangements, and during that time five
other horses were coaxed away. Provi-
sions were cached at distances of fifty
miles apart. One extra pony was sta
toned $50 miles to the north, the other
the same distance to the south. Word
was sent to other ranches, and some Of
them would have riders ready to take
up the pursuit while the Mexican rest
ed and slept. 1t was to be two, three,
four or five men against wild horse.
It was to be two, three, four or five
horses against one. The chase began
on Sunday morning when the sorrel
came galloping down upon grazing
herd to make more friends and more
captives. He held his head and tail
high when he got the first alarm. He
took long look at the man on the
pony, and then, with a snort of con-
tempt, he turned and cantered up the
valley. 1t was only a canter, but it
soon placed him out of sight. Then
the trailer bent over his saddle and
followed by the tracks alone. He did
not increase his pace. He did not care
to sight the sorrel for days and days
yet. Before nightfall he had made
eighty miles. Then he ate and rested
and took up the chase again, but at a
slower pace. He could no longer see
the trail, but for that he did not care.
At midnight the white foot horse was
routed. He heard the coming of the
man mile away. He sprang up in
alarm and struck into a mad gallop
and did not pause until he had COW
cred twenty miles. While he was
running like q shadow through the
darkness the Nemesis was resting The
sorrel had had but three hours in
which to drink and Craze and rest
again when some one else routed him
up. Away he went, supple as ever and
with undiminished speed, but now he
was puzzled. No one man had ever
chased him above five miles before.
Now one man had hung to his trail all
day long, and second appeared. 1t
was something to puzzle over. 1t was
new experience. The horse was first
puzzled, then uneasy, then frightened.
The Mexican had counted on this. 1t
was to be great aid in wearing him
down.
Straightaway up the valley for. 300
miles went the white, foot horse be-
fore he turned to gallop back. Out of
hundred hours he had been kept ON
the move for fully ninety. Sometimes
he had looked back from the crest of a
hill and seen the man in pursuit, but
the man had not seen him or seemed to
care to. No matter what the pace
was in front, that in the rear was only
steady canter.
AS the sorrel turned third man took
up the chase When he had held to the
trail for hundred miles the first was
there and ready to resume that steady
canter. Now the wild horse was thor
oughly frightened. 1t wasn't that he
had seen men or that he was running
from men, but it was that he was dog
ged with such persistency-that he was
being hunted to his death. In his
fright he did foolish things. He drank
too much water. He took to rough
ground to hide his TRAIL He founder
ed through quicksands and used up his
strength for naught He continued his
pace when he should have rested.
Ten times the white foot sorrel
swept up and down the Mesilla valley,
with the great Sierra range on his
right or his left, and ten times did the