AMUSEMENTS HORSE RACING. 329 



The training of the ponies has quite as much to do 

 with the success of an Indian race as his speed or the 

 address of the rider. Great pains are, therefore, taken 

 in training, and a pony thoroughly up in his tricks is 

 highly prized. 



The Indian is an arrant jockey, and understands all 

 the tricks of professional horse racing as well as any 

 veteran of Jerome Park. He rarely comes in com- 

 petition with whites, because his passion being for trick 

 races, as those described, he dislikes to come down to a 

 square and fair race over a straight track. Besides 

 this, it is really exceedingly difficult to hit on a fair 

 distance between the Indian and American horse. The 

 start being always from a halt, the small, quick pony 

 is almost sure to win at from 100 to 300 yards, while 

 the long stride of the American horse is equally sure 

 of carrying him in winner from 600 yards to two miles. 

 A mile or two is then doubtful, after which it is safe 

 to back the endurance of the pony. 



A band of Comanches under Mu-la-que-top, once 

 camped near Fort Chadbourne in Texas, and were 

 frequent visitors and great nuisances as beggars at that 

 post. Some of the officers were decidedly ' horsey,' 

 several owning blooded horses, the relative speed of each 

 being known, by separate trials, almost to a foot. 

 Mu-la-que-top was bantered for a race, and, after several 

 days of manoeuvring, a race was made against the third 

 best horse of the garrison, distance 400 yards. 



The Indians betted robes and plunder of various kinds, 

 to the value of sixty or seventy dollars, against money, 

 flour, sugar, &c., to a like amount. At the appointed 

 time all the Indians and most of the garrison were 

 assembled at the track. The Indians ' showed ' a miser- 

 able sheep of a pony, with legs like churns, a three-inch 

 coat of rough hair stuck out all over the body, and 

 a general expression of neglect, helplessness, and patient 

 suffering struck pity into the hearts of all beholders. 



