722 THE AMERICAN FARMER 



possess great endurance, are very fleet, and will easily outstrip the fleetest well-bred horse. 

 They are quite useful for saddle purposes when tamed. They are inclined to be vicious, but 

 may easily be managed. They are lightly valued, and may be purchased at a very low rate, 

 owing to the constant and rapid increase of better stock. 



Wild horses will always be found divided into squads or herds controlled by the most 

 powerful stallion of the tribe, who holds dominion as long as he is able to do so, or until his 

 place is usurped by a younger and more powerful rival ; consequently every herd of wild 

 horses has its leader. 



The wild horses of our Western plains have furnished the kernel of many an interest 

 ing and exciting story of border-life. It is stated that two or three of these leaders, more 

 powerful than all others, lived and led their herds on the plains of Texas for several years. 

 One was white, and a pacer, and such was his speed and endurance, that although he was 

 pursued by parties mounted on the best horses of the frontier for scores of miles together, 

 yet he was never known to fail to keep a good distance ahead of his pursuers. 



One of the most famous of these roving kings of the plain was captured many years ago 

 in Matagorda County. He was a dun stallion, with a dark stripe down the back, and faint 

 rings about the legs, as are sometimes seen on the mule. The New York Sportsman gives an 

 account of the capture of this beautiful animal, as follows : 



&quot; Between thirty and forty years ago mustangs were to be found in large numbers on 

 every prairie west of the Brazos, and quite a large herd infested that one bounded by the 

 Colorado on the west, and Old Caney on the east, (about where the boundary between 

 Matagorda and Wharton Counties now runs,) headed by this famous stallion, afterwards 

 called Boggy from the name of a creek by means of which his capture was effected. 



These mustangs were very troublesome to the settlers in leading their gentle horses astray* 

 for once with the mustangs they were as wild and unapproachable as the mustangs them 

 selves, and were seldom or never recaptured. So it was resolved by the settlers that this 

 herd should be driven off, and this was impossible without the capture of their leader, the 

 dun stallion; consequently that was determined upon. Old Captain John Duncan, who 

 acquired his title, as master of a steamboat on the Alabama River, when that State was but 

 just out of its territorial form, was one of the wealthiest, most energetic, and prominent men 

 of the settlement, and he was selected to plan the capture. 



The range of Boggy and his herd was a prairie of about thirty miles circumference, 

 bounded by the bay on the south, Boggy Creek on the north, and Caney and Colorado on 

 the east and west respectively, around which the mustangs always ran when pursued, as they 

 had been many a time and oft. The old captain collected about thirty of the best-mounted 

 light-weights of the settlement, and the day before the chase he distributed them in couples 

 about two miles apart around the prairie, where they camped for the night, and were in the 

 saddle at daybreak the following morning, ready to begin the chase. 



About good daylight the captain broke away after the herd, which, under the leader 

 ship of Boggy, at once took their usual circuit. As they passed the first couple, the boys 

 whooped them up at their best lick for two miles, when the second couple took it up and 

 drove them to the third, and so on round the prairie. After a while the weaker ones began 

 to fail, and were left by the herd, but no attention was paid to them, for orders were to 

 capture Boggy. Away and away they went around the thirty-mile track, once, twice, and 

 all were lagging but the magnificent Boggy, whose beautiful wavy mane and tail streamed in 

 the wind as he swept on with reaching stride, running gallantly, at splendid speed, on, on, 

 on. The sun rose and mounted higher and higher, until he stood at zenith, and looked down 

 upon this wonderful struggle, and still the glorious dun kept on his-course, nor seemed to 

 fail of speed or wind, until the shadows slanted away to the east, and the shades of evening 

 were warning the captain that he must redouble his efforts or darkness would put out the 



