Wild Horses; Traits; Difficulties of Catching Them; Preparations for the
Same; Personal Experiences.
My experience has taught me that there has not been another animal on the
plains as inquisitive and suspicious as the wild horse, or mustang, as it
is called. The early horse hunter took advantage of this characteristic
inquisitiveness to approach sufficiently close to effect his capture. This
was done by placing a wagon sheet, or a bed quilt on a stake and then
hiding in the bushes or grass in the vicinity. The hunter was compelled to
remain perfectly quiet in his lair as the slightest sound at times would
stampede the horses and render his quest futile. The mustangs, on
discovering the strange object in their neighborhood would commence to run
round and round in circles, reducing the radius of the circle each time
until finally they were within a distance of about two hundred yards of
the object of their curiosity. Then they would stand perfectly still and
that was the time there was need of caution on the part of the hunter, as
the breaking of a twig, the sound of a voice, or any slight noise that
would be likely to reach their ears, would start them off in wild affright
to return no more as long as there were any indications of disturbance in
the neighborhood. If the hunter remained quietly in hiding and gave no
sign of his presence in any manner, their curiosity would bring them back
again to make a further exploration of the strange phenomenon. In this
manner the old horse-hunter used to entice them close enough to "crease"
one of them, as it was called. This "creasing" consisted in taking a very
careful and deliberate aim with a rifle and shooting the horse in front of
the withers, through the top of the neck close to the spinal cord. This
stunned or shocked him so that he would fall in his tracks, paralyzed for
the time being, giving the hunter time, if he moved swiftly, to run from
his hiding place with his hobble-rope and hog-tie him before he recovered.
It frequently happened that the hunter arrived there too late as the horse
often recovered from his shock and was up and away before his arrival; or,
the shot being badly aimed, reached a vital spot and the horse would be
dead before he could get the hobbles on him. If everything worked out
satisfactorily, and the mustang was secured, he would place a "Hackamaw"
on his head in such a way that it could not be shaken loose in the
struggle that was bound to follow. I shall here explain that a Hackamaw is
a sort of halter, or headstall, made of the end of a lariat rope and put
on in such a manner that it holds the head of the mustang firmly without
the danger of choking the animal. When the animal was secured, the hunter
gave his partner a signal to bring up the saddle horses that were held at
a distance and out of sight so as not to scare the herd before capture.
The fun commenced in earnest when the hobbles were removed and the
captured mustang was permitted to rise. The first thing on the program was
to try to escape back to the herd. That failing, he would go on the
war-path and it took a skillful horseman and active ponies to bring him
under subjection. It usually required, at least, two, each with his lariat
attached so as to prevent the mustang's reaching the other. Several hours
of hard fighting then ensued, but in the end when the mustang was
conquered he made the toughest and wiriest of cow-ponies.
It very frequently happened that two of these bands of wild horses met and
then trouble began. Every herd was headed by a stallion that exercised
supreme authority over the whole band at all times, and never allowed any
intruder to trespass on his rights and privileges. As a result, when two
herds encountered each other, war was at once proclaimed by the two
stallions for the complete control and management of both herds. Never did
knights of old covered with armor, go forth to battle with more dignity
and determination to protect their lady loves, or to maintain the honor of
their own good names, than was displayed by those mustang stallions. With
ears turned back and their noses to the ground, they dashed forth to the
deadly conflict. The meeting of the two champions was of the fiercest
nature. At times they fought standing on their hind feet with their teeth
sunk in each others neck, and at others they waged their mortal combat
standing on their fore feet using their hind feet as weapons of offence.
Sometimes these battles terminated fatally to one or both of the
contestants, but more frequently ended when one of the struggling brutes
became so exhausted that he was unable to continue the fight, and
acknowledged defeat by retreating to the protection of some canyon or sand
hill with his little band of mares and colts, provided the other stallion
did not have sufficient energy left to run them into his own harem leaving
his defeated adversary to a lonesome existence on the bleak prairie.
I had an old friend at one time who followed up the pursuit of catching
wild horses for a living, and for patience and perseverence he never had
an equal among his contemporaries. He met disaster and disappointment with
unflinching energy and returned to the conflict with unabated courage.
Though the renumeration was small, there was a fascination about the work
that he could not resist. Before entering upon an expedition of this kind,
he fitted up a camping outfit consisting of a few blankets, a tarpaulin,
slicker, coffee pot, skillet, knife, fork, hobble ropes, a supply of
lariat ropes, a winchester, six-shooters, and some bacon, the latter being
taken along for grease to be used in cooking, as fresh meat was to be had
at all times. The prairies were alive with antelope, turkey, deer, and
occasionally a stray buffalo was discovered. Such buffalo, deer, and
wolves as were taken, were skinned and the hide salted for sale on the
market. He used no wagons in his business, but took two mares with him,
one to be used as a saddle pony and the other for the purpose of serving
as a pack animal. His favorite pony was called Topsy, and was the mascot
of the expedition. He had raised her and trained her from colthood and she
was trained to such a degree of perfection that she would obey the sound
of his voice, whistle, or signal given by the waving of his hat, and never
did a railway engineer, or brakeman respond with greater promptness than
did Old Topsy when she received the signal from her master. At the word of
command she would lie down or rise, and owing to this peculiarity of her
training she was frequently used as a wind shield during a cold storm from
the north, her master making his bed beside her for protection.
Preparations for these trips were usually made in the early autumn, during
the month of September, as the heat of the summer was somewhat lessened by
that time, and he generally managed to set out when the moon was new so as
to travel by night if necessary. He was so thoroughly acquainted with the
country that he knew every creek, and canyon, every spring and waterhole
where the mustangs were accustomed to get water. He was not compelled to
scour the country for his quarry as every wild horse within a range of
five miles seemed to know by instinct the arrival of his pack animals and
ponies. Such uncertainty of knowledge did not satisfy them, but to satisfy
their curiosity they came along on the run to make an investigation into
the character of the intruders who had so uncerimoniously intruded into
their domain. By the time the huntsman had unpacked, had his camp-fire
built, and was preparing his meal, they would be encircling his camp,
running, romping, and playing. The stallion usually took the lead in these
diversions with the mares and young colts by their side trying to keep up
to his advance. Finally they would come to a standstill and remain
perfectly quiet until some noise would startle them and off they would go
pell-mell only to return and repeat their investigation into what was the
new element that was disturbing the peaceful possession of their range.
This hunter's method was different from what was usually followed by
others. It was not his intention to excite or disturb the wild horses in
any way; on the contrary his object was to get them accustomed to his
presence, get them acquainted with the domestic mares, and render them
peaceful and quiet. In a few days his object would be accomplished, and
then he proceeded to set the herd in motion to drive them back to the
settlements where they could be corraled and handled. He never permitted
them to get a moment's rest, day or night, once he had them in motion, and
as little chance to graze as possible. In the mean time he saw to it that
his own mares had every advantage possible. In a few days, such a system
could not but have its effect on the mustangs and they would as a
consequence become more docile. Gradually he got closer to them without
the danger of stampeding them, until within the course of ten days or two
weeks they showed unmistakable signs of weariness and weakness which
allowed him to get in closer touch with them. In fact, so much was he in
their presence that they came to look upon him as one of the herd. Then
took place the working out of his design. He headed Old Topsy for home
over the hills, through the canyons and creeks, never stopping for
anything, gradually moving along, slowly and quietly nursing them into
captivity. Such was the care that he exercised that he made no more than
five or ten miles a day on his straight course. At times, before the herd
became too wearied, the flight of a bird or the barking of a coyote would
stampede them and thus he would lose five or ten miles that he had gained
with so much difficulty. On he went after them, doing over again all that
had been done before. In case there were no unforeseen difficulties, or
accidents, he would finally drive them into the neighborhood of some good
strong corral where, with the permission of the proprietor, he would run
them in until such time as he would be able to hobble the leaders, which
usually required a week or more.
A mustang is so sensitive and observing that I sometimes thought he could
count the buttons on one's clothes. In fact, I know, that should one
change his clothing while breaking one of them, he would have all the work
to do over again until the mustang became accustomed to the change. He
received everything with suspicion and even a fence-post would call for an
investigation. The corral was a new world entirely for him and it took
days of patience and perseverence to induce him to enter it. Old Topsy
would go in and out and make herself at home, but not so with her
associates, at least for quite a long time. Finally they would venture in
little by little, the hunter permitting them to pass in and out several
times before putting up the bars on them. As soon as the mustangs found
themselves unable to get out they became badly frightened and excited,
especially during the absence of the hunter. His return seemed to pacify
them very much. He had to manage them with great judgement until he
managed to hobble the leaders, which, as I said before, took days to
accomplish.
It is true that he could have roped and hobbled them in a short time once
he had them in the corral, but this was not the way with my friend. He
said often times that once he had gained their confidence, he could not
betray it. After the mustangs had been corraled for some time and had
grown accustomed to the presence of men, then the interesting work took
place. They had to be broken to the saddle and bridle and ridden by
somebody, and I wish to state that it was a work that required an expert,
all green-horns and tenderfeet barred. Around all ranches was to be found
a man whose sole occupation was to do this work. He offered to accomplish
the task of reforming the wild mustang at from two to five dollars a head,
and he usually had the work assigned him. By the time they were broken
they were usually sold at a fair price for that class of stock while the
hunter made preparations for returning to the plains for another lot of
mustangs, a work which he seemed to enjoy.
These mustangs did not command a very high price as most of them were too
small for cow-work, and too light for single drivers. Sometimes one could
pick up a team of these ponies and find them the toughest and wiriest
animals that were ever hitched to a buckboard. They could travel from
sunrise to sunset at ten miles an hour and never turn a hair. But viewed
from all angles the business was not a financial success and the men
engaged in it never cleared up any great amount of money, as I proved to
my own satisfaction later on.
Before what is now called Meade County was established, there was nothing
there but the open prairie. A fence was an unknown thing except where some
settler had built one around a stack of hay to protect it from the range
cattle that were roaming the plains in great numbers in those days. It was
necessary for him to do this as a small stack of feed would be a tempting
morsel, in cold weather, to the thousands of cattle wandering loose and in
search of fodder. In case they did succeed in reaching the tempting
supply, it lasted about as long as a water melon at a negro picnic. It had
been reported on what I considered reliable authority that there was a
black stallion running on the flat between Crooked and Sandy Creeks, about
nine miles southeast of the present county seat of Meade county, Kansas.
The cowboys had often tried to capture him, but in every instance failed.
He was described to me as standing about fifteen hands high, which was
exceptionally large for a mustang, with long flowing mane and tail, and he
could trot faster than any cow-pony could run. After weighing the matter
carefully for some time I decided to go out and capture him. From the
description given, he was just what I wanted for a saddle horse. I
determined to have him provided I could enlist the services of G. W.
Brown, an old Indian scout, and former companion of the buffalo range. He
was, moreover, an expert with the lariat rope and was considered one of
the best trailers in the country. The other man I wanted, and whom I
finally succeeded in getting, was C. M. Rice, formerly of Jasper, Ind., a
veteran of the Civil war, an old and experienced plainsman who knew every
creek and trail in the country. After discussing the matter carefully in
all its different aspects, we decided to capture him regardless of trouble
and expense attached to the undertaking, even though it took all summer.
We had to take a camp wagon, grain and provisions enough to last several
weeks, as we would not be able to return for more if we happened to run
short. We took our favorite saddle ponies and started early so as to get
in operation as soon as possible. It was our intention to locate him early
in the morning and have the whole day for the first run. We were fortunate
in finding him shortly after daybreak, but his looks were rather
disappointing as he did not seem as large as he had been pictured to me by
the cowboys. However, we were there to capture him and determined to do
so. One thing favored us and that is one of the peculiarities of the
mustang, he will not leave his range unless driven from it. He will take
his departure very reluctantly and will return at the earliest
opportunity.
Our first night was one of rest, with nothing to disturb us but the
howling of the coyotes and the bawling of the cattle. Morning found us up
early and ready for the chase. We knew it would be useless to try to catch
him on a straight run as he would have, at least, half a mile start on us.
We decided to run him in a circle, keep inside of his course, and keep him
on the run until he became jaded and exhausted and then let him get a
chance to drink his fill of water as he would surely be very thirsty after
a long gallop. The consequence of this strategy would be that the mustang
would become stiffened and it would be easy to run him down and rope him.
After making the first large circle, C. M. Rice, seeing his horse lathered
with perspiration that trickled down from the flanks of his horse, his
favorite Old Tom, decided to return to camp and prepare something to eat
for himself and us on our return. If we did not return by night-fall he
was to keep the camp-fire burning to act as a beacon for our guidance. In
order to save our horses, Brown and I decided that one of us should keep
on the chase whilst the other rested his horse. This gave each of us
chance to refresh our mount with water and grass until it came his turn to
take up the pursuit. In the meantime the mustang was not allowed to have a
respite from his exertions, but was kept on the move until about three or
four o'clock in the afternoon. Nature asserted herself in his case and
frequently, after that time, he would stop to look around and see if his
pursuers were likely to give him a chance to rest and refresh himself. It
was plainly evident that the pace was telling on him, but he found that
his pursuers gave him no opportunity to rest his weary legs. Closely and
more closely they came in spite of all he could do to ward off their
unremitting pursuit. The moments he took to stop and look around offered
us an opportunity to draw closer. Then we both took up the chase at the
same time. We divided our forces, one going on one side of him and the
other on the opposite. By this time we were within twenty rods of him. By
this strategy we headed him for Gypsom Creek in the hope that when he
reached it he would stop and drink his fill. That would give us an
opportunity of roping him. Everything worked out as we had planned. When
the thirsty brute reached the water he drank abundantly of the refreshing
fluid. It seemed as though he would never stop. When finally he had his
fill we ran him off to the mouth of a canyon where, if once we could get
him to enter, there would be no opportunity of his escape as there was no
outlet at the other end. I say none, or rather should have said there was
one but it was practically out of the question for him to make it. It was
about a mile away and the road was filled with boulders and sand heaps and
was up hill all the way, and we knew that in his present condition his
wind would be gone before he could again reach the open prairie. Now came
the opportunity to rope him if he was to be captured at all, as there was
nothing left for him to do but choose between the rough boulders and
ledges of the other end of the canyon, or strive to evade us by seeking
safety in the way he entered. Brown went around and awaited his arrival,
while I followed as best I could until I saw him disappear at the head of
the canyon. Then I retraced my way and rode around on the divide so as to
be in on the final chase. When I came in sight of Brown, I saw that he had
him roped securely, but on reaching him I discovered that he had captured
him in a prairie-dog town and in the struggle that followed the roping he
had jumped into one of the holes and broke his leg between the knee and
the fetlock, and the bones were protruding through the flesh. Under those
conditions, as he would be of no value to me, and also, as it would be
inhuman to turn him loose to suffer and starve, or become the food of
mountain lions, or coyotes, I thought it best to end his misery without
further delay. This being done, we tightened up our saddle cinches and
returned to camp very weary and much wiser than when we set forth in the
morning. Thus ended my first, last, and only chase after a wild mustang
stallion on the plains of Kansas. As per agreement, Rice had kept the camp
fire burning and had, moreover, prepared a supper of hot beans, biscuits,
antelope steak, and coffee, which was a feast fit for a king and one which
I think no guest of Delmonico ever appreciated more.
The next morning we arose and went to look after our ponies. What a
pitiful sight we beheld when we came upon them in the secluded place where
we had tethered them! They were gaunt, covered and caked with
perspiration and dust of the preceding day's chase.
We gave them a good rub-down and plenty of food and water, which refreshed
them very much. After a good breakfast, we took a farewell look at the
camp and returned to the ranch. The black stallion with his flowing mane
and tail became a matter of past history of the plains. In conclusion I
shall say that my two companions of the chase of thirty-two years ago are
still both hale and hearty business men in the Queen City of the Canadian,
El Reno, Okla.