The San Francisco call., 1909-03-06
Adventure of a Plucky Pony

hot Heavy clouds hung overhead, anu
now and then a large drop fell with
spatter on the saddle bow. Three hun.
dred yards from camp shot knocked
up the loose dust almost under his nose,
and then another and another. They
were seen, He felt the sharp spurs in
his side, heard the mans Tow voice in
his ear and knew the fight for life had
begun.
With his ears laid back from his
outstretched head and his bony legs
opening and shutting swiftly beneath
him. Brutus was running as he had
never run before. The shots were com
ing faster and faster. but Brutus had
found his stride and the speeding blur
in the dark made no easy target Lit
tie spits of fire flashed from the dark
ness on every side simultaneously with
the crack of the shots and the wliz OF
the bullets. Brutus was Ealloping
madly. He didn't csre to be killed so
far from home with that sleek led gray
to joke about it when he was gone,
and then there was the man on his
back to think of. But the shots were
fewer now and sounded from the rear.
Then came the quiet regular beat OF
hoofs They were through the lines
and the Beers were after them.
Brutus would have chuckled but for
the fact~that they had long way to
go and he needed his wind. He hadn't
had such sport since those braves had
broken loose from the reservation. An
occasional shot came unpleasantly near.
then the last sound OF hoof beats died
away. and Brutus settled into his ac-
customed canter and mile after mile
swept by monotonously Once when ne
struck a rolling stone he and Living
ston went down in a heap. but they
were soon up and off again 1t was
awfully hot, he thought, as hot as Ari-
zona, and such bad gofng--the rocks
were so hard on ones hoofs.
He could keep this pace up for hours,
he knew: he'd done it before. There
was the time the sheriff and posse had
tracked him and Jack Dunton the
night they held up the Limited but
the spurs were urging him faster now
and his legs were beginning to ache.
He heard Livingston's voice.
Half past eleven. / said wed 40 III
in five hours; do you think We can,
old boy?'
Brutus swung on doggedly, the dust
making dim shadow in the night. He
wished 1t would rain or something.
Lord, How thirsty he was. pony
couldn't gallop like that forever with
out drink of water. At least in Ari-
zona there was a water hole now ana
then. His tongue rolled dry in his
mouth and he'd never felt like that IN
side before. His sides were bursting,
and the sweat blinded his eyes. He
wouldn't stand it much longer. he
thought. No pony could, not if the
Beers wiped out the whole blessed
troop 1t seemed hours before he again
heard the others voice.
"One O'clock. Brutus; it's tough, |
know, but they've got me through the
shoulder and it feels pretty bad.
hnf
shoulder and not a word of complaint.
Well. If Livingston could ride five
hours with hole in his shoulder he
needn't whimper, but he couldn't help
# If he felt little dizzy and lost the
direction a bit. He wondered what
the gray would say now. oh. We'll it
didn't much matter. Then he went
down in a iEmp, and when he staggered
TO his feet the man was standing near
him crashing his wounded shoulder,
his face showing white In the dark
ness and his teeth clinched on his lip.
A moment later Brurus felt him crawl
painfully into the saddle; the touch
of his spurred heel and the nerve rack
ing ride went on.
At Is minutes of two the furthermost
outpost Of the British lines heard the
mufiied hoof beats of wind blown
horse. and staring into the biackness
saw 2 piebald pony, laboring crnelly
as it galloped, a man lying low on the
pony's neck, one arm hanging limp.
The picket challenged and the eX-
hausted animal came to a stand, then
sank to the ground with a gasping
moan A crowd of officers and soldiers
stood over them, anxiousiy waiting Tor
livingston to speak. Brutus tried to
raise his head Was it all for nothing?
Wouldn't he speak? Perhaps he was
dead II seemed unfortunately long be-
fore he saw Livingston move and heard
a faint whisper come from the parched
lips.
quick! Troop A, due north, Beers
in force"
Brutus closed his eyes. All. That
felt good. They We're sponging out ms
blistered mouth with cold water, and
big sergeant with a small cross on his
breast was rubbing his aching legs
with strong smelling lininent and NUT
+ering between breaths, 'Plucky little
devil" and little thoroughbred" Then
he heard the clear notes of the bugles
sounding boots and saddles all over
the camp, and a few minutes later the
fra mple of many horses, the dull rum
hle of the gun carriages and the rattle
of accoutrements as two regiments OF
horse and a light battery gailoped out
into the night choking the camp with
dust It took them eight hours to
reach troop \, and they got there only
lust in time to prevent the Beers from
rushing the half of the troop ieff anVe.
Two nights after the reinforcements
had gone troop A struggled wearlly
into camp. 40 men short. with 90
wounded in the ambulances, and re-
ported the engagement still going on
Brutus was hobbled in his old place
IN the horse lines of the troop, inere
were a good many vacant spaces now
but the tired horses snickered, MADE
quite a fuss over him, and came as
near as their ropes would allow.
"Buliy for you" shouted the ser
geant majors chestnut. Were PROUD
of YOU. we are" Brutus was PLAIN
pony and prAise embarrassed him. He
bobbed his head modestly and reached
for a mouthful of hay.
And old chap said the gray, I
take all that back, you know, you're
a well plucked one and couldn't have
done better myself" The chestnut
snickered outright
"You.' he scoffed. throwing up his
tail disgustedly. why, your bloomin'
bones I'D be rottin' in the sun by now"
Brutus turned away; he didn't care
to hear their petty sduabbling; he had