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was found in considerable numbers in northern Mexico and Texas, but the difficulty of taking them was very great. There was no other animal on the plains so wild and sagacious. So adroit were they that they would always run on sight of man, and once in motion would rarely stop until they had placed a long and safe interval between themselves and their pursuers.

In a band of wild horses may be seen all colors: nearly milk-white, jetblack, cream color, iron-gray, pinto, sorrel, bay, etc. Their manes were profuse, hanging in wild profusion over their necks and faces, and their long tails swept the ground. It was rare that a human being could by stealth approach, or by patient waiting find himself near a band of horses at their ease; but when he did he witnessed an ideal scene of freedom and beauty in the graceful gambols of the proud and playful descendants of the faithful slaves of Cortes and Alvarado, an animal new to America, but thriving here even better than at home.

There were various methods of taking the wild horse. One was for the rifleman to steal up under the cover of some rock or bush or deep ravine, or lie in wait concealed near some place where they were accustomed to go for water, and watch his opportunity to "crease" them. This is done by firing a bullet through the upper part of the neck, striking a certain nerve or cord in such a way as to temporarily paralyze the animal. Before his recovery the hunter would run up and confine him with stout cords or lariats. It was a difficult performance, and very rarely successful. A surer way to take him was for the huntsmen to separate into bands in the time of the full moon, and take stations on the plains at points where the band of wild horses was accustomed to roam. Then one or two men would pursue the band, the pursuit to be taken up by their prearranged relays as the circumstances would enable them to come in with their fresh horses; until in the course of time the pursued animals became exhausted. But it was easier for the Indians to steal the domesticated horse from his owner, or raise the animals in their safe camps, hundreds of miles away from any settlement.

With the horse they could easily take the bison, commonly called buffalo, which had always been the plains Indian's main stay and support. It furnished him with splendid robes to protect him from the cold of winter. Its hide, with that of the elk, furnished him warm shelter and clothing, while the venison and buffalo meat supplied him with an abundance of wholesome and toothsome food. The vast region extending from the Rio Grande through Texas, eastern New Mexico and Colorado, the Indian

Territory, Kansas, Nebraska, the Dakotas, Wyoming, Montana, and the plains of British America, was the pasture ground of millions of buffaloes. I think it is safe to say that from the crest of a mesa or some high butte I have frequently seen from twenty to thirty thousand within a radius of ten or fifteen miles. Within the past decade the buffalo, as well as the wild

horse of the plains, has become entirely extinct, the last remnants of both having been run down and killed or taken in the vicinity of that strange section overlooked by surveying parties in laying out the boundaries of Kansas, the Indian Territory, Texas, New Mexico, and

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CREASING THE WILD HORSE.

Land." In the

Southwest they were practically exterminated between the years 1872 and 1877, while the same occurred in the Northwest between the years 1878 and 1885.

It may not be uninteresting to

give somewhat in detail the Indian's mode of hunting the buffalo before the white man came and destroyed the game. The chase of the buffalo was the Indian's chief amusement as well as his chief means of livelihood, and after his acquisition of the horse, was done almost invariably on horseback; formerly with bow and lance, latterly with rifle also. In this exercise he became wonderfully expert, and was able to kill these huge beasts with great ease. Mounted on his strong, fleet "Indian pony," well trained for the chase, he dashed off at full speed amongst the herd and

discharged his deadly arrow to their hearts from his horse's back. This horse was the fleetest animal of the prairie, and easily brought his rider alongside of his game. Both the horse and his rider had been stripped beforehand of shield, dress and saddle, everything which might in the least encumber or handicap the horse for speed, the Indian carrying only bow and quiver with half a dozen arrows drawn from it and held lightly and loosely in his left hand ready for instant use. With a trained horse the Indian rider had little use for the line which was fastened with a noose around the under jaw, passing loosely over the horse's neck and trailing behind, passing to the left side of the rider. The word lariat is from the Spanish, lariata. The following derivation, probably fanciful, is also given. The early French traders in the country named the line or

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halter "l'arret" or stop; it being as they seem to have thought, used to stop rather than guide the horse. The Englishmen coming subsequently upon the scene accepted the name with anglicized spelling, "lariat." Further south, toward the Rio Grande, the Spaniards gave it the name of "lazo" meaning a net, or entanglement, which was afterwards anglicized to lasso, and this name as well as lariat is now in common use. It is used for a great variety of purposes; to stop, to guide, to secure the animal, to throw him and to bind him when down. All this the Indians do with great skill. I have seen Rary's method of subjugating vicious horses excelled by the skill of the Indian in the use of the lariat as he tangles the horse, throws and confines him, and finally does whatever he likes with him without seriously injuring him.

Returning to the chase, the approach was made upon the right side of the game, the arrow being thrown to the left at the instant the horse passed the animal's heart, or some vital organ, which received the deadly weapon "to the feather." In fact, Indians have been known to send them with such force as to drive them completely through the buffalo.

When pursuing a large herd the Indian generally rode close in the rear until he had selected the animal he wished to kill. He separated it from the throng by watching for a favorable opportunity and dashing his horse between, forcing it off by itself and killing it without being himself trampled to death, as he was liable to be by operating too far within the massed herd.

The training of the horse was such that it quickly knew the object of its rider's selection, and exerted every energy to come to close quarters. In the chase the rider leaned well forward and off from its side, with his bow firmly drawn ready for the shot which was given the instant he was opposite the animal's body. The horse being instinctively afraid of the huge animal, kept his eye upon him, and the moment he reached the nearest proximity required, and heard the twang of the bow or the crack of the rifle, sheered instantly though gradually off, to escape the horns of the infuriated beast, which were often instantly turned and presented for the reception of the pursuer. These frightful collisions would occasionally occur, notwithstanding the wonderful sagacity of the horse and the caution of the rider.

The buffalo on being pursued will sometimes turn very quickly at his pursuer with savage ferocity, and many an Indian as well as an occasional white man has been thrown high in the air over the back of the buffalo, or gored to death. Occasionally the animal will turn before being wounded. This has occurred in my own experience in a hot chase upon the Kansas plains. Sometimes also the cow will turn in defense of her young. Captain Frank D. Baldwin of the Fifth Infantry once had a powerful bull turn upon him quickly, catching his horse fairly, and throwing both horse and rider over his back. In fact this officer had a number of most remarkable escapes both from buffaloes and from wolves within my knowledge, and as illustrating the characteristics of both these species of large game, I may instance in some detail two or three of his dangerous adventures. The one now referred to occurred in 1870, when he was stationed at Fort Hays, Kan

sas.

One day in September he received a note from a friend in Chicago saying that he with two others would come out to take a buffalo hunt.

Baldwin was quartermaster of the post at that time. There was a large amount of transportation, and a great many extra saddle animals. Among

the horses which he used himself was an extra fine "buffalo horse." Such a one is an animal that will ride into a herd without fear and seem to be as keen as his rider to overtake a particular buffalo. As soon as he comprehends which particular animal his rider desires to secure he will follow him and run close to his side, and the moment the shot is fired, he will instantly turn from the buffalo to avoid the invariable charge which the wounded animal makes in order to gore and punish his pursuer. This horse was one of the most perfect of its kind, and it was no poor horseman that could remain on his back after firing the shot, unless he thoroughly understood his habits. Of course when the friend and his party came it was incumbent upon Baldwin to give him the best buffalo horse, while he, himself, was obliged to ride an untrained one from the corral.

They rode out with great expectations of having a fine time, and after traveling twelve or fifteen miles from the post, discovered their first herd of buffaloes. Baldwin had warned the gentleman who was riding his horse of the necessity of watching him after firing, but feeling confident that in the excitement of his first chase he would forget all about it, kept along close beside him; and sure enough, the first shot he fired when about fifty yards from the buffalo, the animal made his sharp turn, and off went the rider.

After getting him up and on the horse again, Baldwin thought he would show what he could do himself; so with the green horse on which he was mounted, he started for a fine bull and soon overtook him. By a little urging he was able to get the horse close beside him, and then fired, mortally wounding the animal; but the horse instead of trying to escape the brute, kept along by his side. Almost instantly after the shot was fired, the buffalo turned and caught the horse just behind the flanks, and imbedded his horns, tearing the horse to pieces and throwing Baldwin over the buffalo, where he alighted on his head and shoulders and remained unconscious for several minutes. When he came to his senses the buffalo was standing there, bleeding at the mouth and nose, with his four legs spread out and in the last agonies of death, but looking fiercely at Baldwin, watching for the least indication of life; and had the latter made the least movement as he no doubt would have done if he had had the strength, he would have been gored to death. The parts of the horse were still hanging to the horns of the buffalo. Fortunately this condition of affairs remained for a minute only, when the buffalo fell dead with his head within a few feet of Baldwin's person.

Taking the saddle off his horse, and getting his pistol, in a few minutes a fresh horse was brought. By this time nearly all the party

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