Arizona -- Fiction; Frontier and pioneer life -- Fiction; Western stories
Shefford pulled on his boots and went out to help. He got too close to
the gray mare and, warned by a yell from Withers, he jumped back just in
time to avoid her vicious heels. Then Shefford turned his attention to
Nack-yal and chased him all over the flat in a futile effort to catch
him. Nas Ta Bega came to Shefford's assistance and put a rope over
Nack-yal's head.
“Don't ever get behind one of these mustangs,” said Withers, warningly,
as Shefford came up. “You might be killed.... Eat your bite now. We'll
soon be out of here.”
Shefford had been late in awakening. The others had breakfasted. He
found eating somewhat difficult in the excitement that ensued. Nas Ta
Bega held ropes which were round the necks of Red and Dynamite. The mule
showed his cunning and always appeared to present his heels to Withers,
who tried to approach him with a pack-saddle. The patience of the trader
was a revelation to Shefford. And at length Red was cornered by the
three men, the pack-saddle was strapped on, and then the packs. Red
promptly bucked the packs off, and the work had to be done over again.
Then Red dropped his long ears and seemed ready to be tractable.
When Shefford turned his attention to Dynamite he decided that this
was his first sight of a wild horse. The gray mare had fiery eyes that
rolled and showed the white. She jumped straight up, screamed, pawed,
bit, and then plunged down to shoot her hind hoofs into the air as high
as her head had been. She was amazingly agile and she seemed mad to kill
something. She dragged the Indian about, and when Joe Lake got a rope
on her hind foot she dragged them both. They lashed her with the ends
of the lassoes, which action only made her kick harder. She plunged
into camp, drove Shefford flying for his life, knocked down two of the
burros, and played havoc with the unstrapped packs. Withers ran to
the assistance of Lake, and the two of them hauled back with all their
strength and weight. They were both powerful and heavy men. Dynamite
circled round and finally, after kicking the camp-fire to bits, fell
down on her haunches in the hot embers. “Let--her--set--there!” panted
Withers. And Joe Lake shouted, “Burn up, you durn coyote!” Both men
appeared delighted that she had brought upon herself just punishment.
Dynamite sat in the remains of the fire long enough to get burnt, and
then she got up and meekly allowed Withers to throw a tarpaulin and a
roll of blankets over her and tie them fast.
Lake and Withers were sweating freely when this job was finished.
“Say, is that a usual morning's task with the pack-animals?” asked
Shefford.
“They're all pretty decent to-day, except Dynamite,” replied Withers.
“She's got to be worked out.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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