Biographical fiction; Jones, Charles Jesse, 1844-1919 -- Fiction; Pioneers -- Fiction; Western stories
Always it seemed to me, while the wind rushed, the brush whipped, I saw
Frank far ahead, sitting his saddle as if glued there, holding his
reins loosely forward. To see him ride so was a beautiful sight. Jones
let out his Comanche yell at every dozen jumps and Wallace sent back a
thrilling "Waa-hoo-o!" In the excitement I had again checked my horse,
and when Jones remembered, and loosed the bridle, how the noble animal
responded! The pace he settled into dazed me; I could hardly
distinguish the deer trail down which he was thundering. I lost my
comrades ahead; the pinyons blurred in my sight; I only faintly heard
the hounds. It occurred to me we were making for the breaks, but I did
not think of checking Satan. I thought only of flying on faster and
faster.
"On! On! old fellow! Stretch out! Never lose this race! We've got to be
there at the finish!" I called to Satan, and he seemed to understand
and stretched lower, farther, quicker.
The brush pounded my legs and clutched and tore my clothes; the wind
whistled; the pinyon branches cut and whipped my face. Once I dodged to
the left, as Satan swerved to the right, with the result that I flew
out of the saddle, and crashed into a pinyon tree, which marvelously
brushed me back into the saddle. The wild yells and deep bays sounded
nearer. Satan tripped and plunged down, throwing me as gracefully as an
aerial tumbler wings his flight. I alighted in a bush, without feeling
of scratch or pain. As Satan recovered and ran past, I did not seek to
make him stop, but getting a good grip on the pommel, I vaulted up
again. Once more he raced like a wild mustang. And from nearer and
nearer in front pealed the alluring sounds of the chase.
Satan was creeping close to Wallace and Jones, with Frank looming white
through the occasional pinyons. Then all dropped out of sight, to
appear again suddenly. They had reached the first break. Soon I was
upon it. Two deer ran out of the ravine, almost brushing my horse in
the haste. Satan went down and up in a few giant strides. Only the
narrow ridge separated us from another break. It was up and down then
for Satan, a work to which he manfully set himself. Occasionally I saw
Wallace and Jones, but heard them oftener. All the time the breaks grew
deeper, till finally Satan had to zigzag his way down and up.
Discouragement fastened on me, when from the summit of the next ridge I
saw Frank far down the break, with Jones and Wallace not a quarter of a
mile away from him. I sent out a long, exultant yell as Satan crashed
into the hard, dry wash in the bottom of the break.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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