WE left the buffalo camp about eight o"clock, and had a toilsome and harassing march of two hours, over ridges of hills covered with a ragged forest of scrub oaks and broken by deep gullies.
About ten o"clock in the morning we came to where this line of rugged hills swept down into a valley, through which flowed the north fork of Red River. A beautiful meadow, about half a mile wide, enamelled with yellow autumnal flowers, stretched for two or three miles along the foot of the hills.
The meadow was finely diversified by groves and clumps of trees, so happily disposed that they seemed as if set out by the hand of Art. As we cast our eyes over this fresh and delightfulvalley, we beheld a troop of wild horses,quietly grazing ona green lawn about a mile distant, to our right; while to our left, at nearly the same distance, were several buffaloes, some feeding, others reposing and ruminating, among the high, rich herbage, under the shade of a clump of cotton-wood trees. The whole had the appearance of a broad beautiful tract of pasture-land on the highly ornamental estate of some gentleman farmer, with his cattle grazing about the lawns and meadows.
A council of war was now held, and it was determined to profit by the present favourable opportunity, and try our hand at the grand hunting man?uvre, which is called "ringingthe wild horse." This requires a large party of horsemen, well mounted. They extend themselves in every direction, at certain distances apart, and gradually form a ring of two or three miles in circumference, so as to surround the game. This must be done with extreme care, for the wild horse is the most readily alarmed inhabitant of the prairie, and can scent a hunter at a great distance, if to windward.
The ring being formed, two or three ride toward the horses, which start off in the opposite direction. Whenever they approach the bounds of the ring, however, a huntsman presents himself, and turns them from their course. In this way they are checked and driven back at every point, and kept galloping round and round this magic circle, until, being completely tired down, it is easy for hunters to ride up tothem and throw the lariatover their heads. The prime horses,
however, of the most speed, courage, and strength, are apt to break through and escape; so that, in general, it is the second- rate horses that are taken.
Preparations were now made for a hunt of this kind. The pack horses were taken into the woods, and firmly tied to trees, lest, in a rush of wild horses, they should break away. Twenty-five men were then sent, under the command of a lieutenant, to steal along the edge of the valley, within the strip of wood that skirted the hills. They were to station themselves about fifty yards apart, within the edge of the woods, and not to advance or show themselves until the horses dashed in that direction. Twenty-five men were also sent across the valley, to steal in like manner along the river bank that bordered the opposite side, and to station themselves among the trees.
A third party, of about the same number, was to form a line stretching across the lower part of the valley, so as to connect the two wings. Beatte and our other half-breed, Antoine, together with the ever-officious Tonish, were to make a circuit through the woods, so as to get to the upper part of the valley, in the rear of the horses, and drive them forward into the kind of sack that we had formed, while the two wings should join behind them, and make a complete circle.
The flanking parties were quietly extending themselves out of sight on each side of the valley, and the residue were stretching themselves like the links of a chain across it, when the wild horses gave signs that they scented an enemy, - snuffing the air, snorting, and looking about. At length they pranced off slowly toward the river, and disappeared behind a green hank.
Here, had the regulations of the chase been observed, they would have been quietly checked and turned back by the advance of a hunter from among the trees; unluckily, however,we had our wild-fire, Jack-o"-lantern,little Frenchman to
deal with. Instead of keeping quietly up the right side of the Jack-o"-lantern, lively, flighty; one of the popular names of the ignis fatuus, or marsh wild- fire; supposed to be caused by the decomposition of animal and vegetable matter, producing an inflammable gas: called also Will-o"-the-Wisp.
valley, to get above the horses, the moment he saw them move toward the river he broke out of the covert of woods,and dashed furiously across the plain in pursuit of them. This put an end to all system. The half-breeds and half a score of rangers joined in the chase.
Away they all went over the green bank. In a moment or two the wild horses reappeared, and came thundering down the valley, with Frenchman, half-breeds, and rangers galloping and bellowing behind them. It was in vain that the line drawn across the valley attempted to check and turn back the fugitives-they were too hotly pressed by their pursuers; in their panic they dashed through the line, and clattered down the plain.
The whole troop joined in the headlong chase; some of the rangers without hats or caps, their hair flying about their ears; and others with handkerchiefs tied round their heads. The buffaloes, which had been calmly ruminating among the herbage, heaved up their huge forms, gazed for a moment at the tempest that came scouring down the meadow, then turned and took to heavy rolling flight. They were soon overtaken. The promiscuous masses were pressed together by the contracting sides of the valley, and away they went, pell mell, hurry skurry, wild buffalo, wild horse, wild huntsman, with clang and clatter, and whoop and halloo, that made the forests ring.
At length the buffaloes turned into a green brake on the river bank, while the horses dashed up a narrow defile of the hills, with their pursuers close at their heels. Beatte passedseveral of them, having fixed his eye upon a fine Pawneehorse, that had his ears slit and saddle-marks upon his back. He pressed him gallantly, but lost him in the woods.
Among the wild horses was a fine black mare, which, inscrambling up the defile, tripped and fell. A young ranger sprang from his horse and seized her by the mane and muzzle. Another ranger dismounted, and came to his assistance. The mare struggled fiercely, kicking and biting, and striking with her fore feet; but a noose was slipped over her head, and her struggles were in vain.
It was some time, however, before she gave over rearing and plunging and lashing out with her feet on every side. The two rangers then led her along the valley by two strong lariats, which enabled them to keep at a sufficient distance on each side to be out of the reach of her hoofs; and whenever she struck out in one direction, she was jerked in the other. In this way her spirit was gradually subdued.
As to Tonish, who had marred the whole scheme by his precipitancy, he had been more successful than he deserved, having managed to catch a beautiful cream-coloured colt, about seven months old, that had not had strength to keepup with its companions. The mercuriallittle Frenchman was
beside himself with exultation. It was amusing to see him with his prize. The colt would rear and kick, and struggle to get free, when Tonish would take it round the neck, wrestle with it, jump on its back, and cut as many antics as a monkey with a kitten.
Nothing surprised me more, however, than to witness how soon these poor animals, thus taken from the unbounded freedom of the prairie, yielded to the dominion of man. In the course of two or three days the mare and colt went with the lead horses, and became quite docile.
- WASHINGTON IRVING
QUESTIONS
How is the man?uvre of "ringing the wild horse" performed? Why did the plan fail on this occasion? By what were the wild horses joined in their flight? Where did the buffaloes turn aside? Where did the horses go? How was the black mare captured? How was she led along the valley? What had the Frenchman captured? What was the most surprising thing in the case of the captives?