WILD PONIES OF THE PLAINS 



and well fed. Late in the afternoon the teacher 

 arranged to take her departure and wished to 

 return home in a cart; having been told that 

 the pony was well broken to drive she hooked 

 him to a vehicle and pulling the rein through 

 the bridle tied the little brute to a hitching- 

 post until ready to start. When these plains 

 ponies or broncos, as they are called, are allowed 

 to stand for a few days and are well fed all 

 their wild spirit returns and they must again 

 be subdued. The teacher neglected to take 

 this fact into consideration, untied the horse 

 in her accustomed manner, when the vicious 

 pony bit and struck at her with his fore-feet, 

 then sprang forward and ran around the yard 

 kicking in an endeavor to free himself from the 

 cart, pulling the teacher along. She firmly held 

 on to the rein that had slipped some distance 

 through her hands. When the frenzied pony 

 reached a large corn-pile that stood in the yard 

 he turned sharply, throwing the teacher flat upon 

 the rough ears of corn and pulling the strap out 

 of her hand. The pony ran around the yard 

 and made straight for the stoop, where the 

 women of the family stood, waving their sun- 

 [109] 



