The Last of the Plainsmen 



glimpse was ever obtained of him. A singular fact 

 was that he never attached any of his own species to 

 his band, unless they were coal black. He had been 

 known to fight and kill other stallions, but he kept 

 out of the well-wooded and watered country fre 

 quented by other bands, and ranged the brakes of 

 the Siwash as far as he could range. The usual 

 method, indeed the only successful way to capture 

 wild horses, was to build corrals round the water- 

 holes. The wranglers lay out night after night 

 watching. When the mustangs came to drink 

 which was always after dark the gates would be 

 closed on them. But the trick had never even been 

 tried on the White Mustang, for the simple reason 

 that he never approached one of thesrci, traps. 



&quot; Boys,&quot; said Jones, &quot; seeing we need breaking 

 in, we ll give the White Mustang a little run.&quot; 



This was most pleasureable news, for the wild 

 horses fascinated me. Besides, I saw from the expres 

 sion on our leader s face that an uncapturable mus 

 tang was an object of interest to him. 



Wallace and I had employed the last few warm, 

 sunny afternoons in riding up and down the valley 

 below Oak, where there was a fine, level stretch. 

 Here I wore out my soreness of muscle, and gradu 

 ally overcame my awkwardness in the saddle. 

 Frank s remedy of maple sugar and red pepper had 



106 



