Show i i TjJiLJwL II = rJ4 I S A I J FATE OF THEBLUERAT A PonyThatMlde Things Lively on a Xlondike Trail Haelon B C July ISEven in the Klondike me in not altogether simple nor iihays free from guile Were proof of that truth needed it might be found 11 the history of our experIences with the BIue < Rat Ve came to know him thro gll our nc dofappny Ve had twoservice able pkck Mrses but vc needed a ldle pany to run along behind and carry the ter1nd arw little taps like thaL ACitizen of Quesnelc possessed such n steed This citizen was a German and had a hair 1 and a most seductive gentleness of voice His name was Dippy and I gladly make him hisori cat He saId me the Blue Rat and I gave mt a chance to study a new type r r horse Herr Dippy Dutch Dippy was not n Washington Irving sort of D1chman modern he conformed rather to the New York tradesman He wassmalI candid and4ihiooth very smooth of speech He id Yes the pOny 1s g rtle He ati be rode or packedb 1 you better lead him lor iiday or tvo till he getsduiet 1WOI I did not iee the pony tm the niorJ 1 lug we hit the long trl on the w st side of theFrasr river but rnr side partner had reported hIm to a ni e I little pony Tound and rat ad gentle On that I rested I In the morning Mr Dippy joh1M < us I at the ferry He held a horSy the roue adf ied around to fnish tht trade I presiuned hentended f trCH 1 and deliver the pony which Was ina I ccrral on tluS vestside 1ut he lsped out a hurried e Ug L fery is nat coming bach f dr today ad so Well ID id him the money on the strength of my side partner report besles it was Hobhns choice Mr Dippy took the 25 eagerly and vanished ntobscurty epassd to the wlld side of theFraser and ester ed upon a long and rntiat study of the Blue Rt He shucked out of the Ib g stable L smooth round 1thebodipd little cayUSe cay-USe of a bluegray color iIelooked lute a chids toy but se med sturdy and food f-ood condition His foretop was banged and he had the air of a mischievous resolute boy His eyes were big and black ant he studied us with tranquil but inquiring inquir-ing gaze a5 we put the pack saddle on him lie was very small Hes not large but hes a genUe little chap said I to ease my partner of his dismay over the panys surDris t smalness 1 believe he shrunk during the night replied my partner He seemed two sizes bIgger yesterday We packed him with hundred I pounds of our food Ye put a small bag of oats on toP and lashed it all on wIth I rope while the pony dazed peacefully Ome or twIce I thou ht I sthv his ears cross one laid back the other set for ward1ad sigsbut it was done so quick I could not be sure of i We packed the other horses ivil1st the blue pony stood resting one hind leg his eyes dreaming I hung the canvass coyer over the bay pack horse something took place I heard a balig a later a rattling rat-tling of hOfO I peered around the bay and saw the 11U pony performi Sc me of thc most finished vigorous ant aried bucking it has ever bien given mt tO witness He all but threw somer sets Iie Stool on his ears He humped hump-ed up his bkck till he looked Jre t lean cat on a graveyard ttn He stood un his toe calks hnd spun lke a v eathervane on a livery stable llid1 xplodeu saddle whn the pack and the slipped under his bely he kicked t to I pieces 1y using both hind hoofs as gently as a man would stroke hIs I beard After calming the other horses I aced 1 my partner sOlemnly 0 by the way partner where did you get that nice quietitte blue pony of yoUrS Partncr smiled sheepishly The little dcYU Bliffalo Bill ought t ltlVe that JJorY Well now IStId I trningmy 1 1ugnter he thing i tp do i to Jut I Ii t t pack on so iilfstl That pony 1 A i 1ryfli stpdthing hglr suit I e racked hIm again with great care IL big Innocent black eyes shining lnd < r nls lan wen a little more alert but they showed neither fear nor rage I VP roped him in eery conceivable ay and at lastwedared him to do his ltttleH ife did it All that had gone beor I WS merely preparatory a bloadwarm Ing so ta say the real thing now took pllC He stood up on his hina legs aLd shot into the air alighting on his fur feet as it to pierce the earth He liried like a howling dervish grunting grunt-ing snorting unseeing and blm st un SLCU in a nimbus of dust strap ends and Dine needles His whirling undid him Teseized the rope and just as the pack aglin slid under his feet weset shoulder to the rope and threy him He came to earth wih a thud his legs whirling 1s lesly in the air He resembled n beetle in molaSses Ye sat upon his head and discussed blmHe < He is a wonder said my partner uHe i a devil I panted Ye packed him again with infinite pains and when he began bucking we threw him again and tried to lU him Wt were g ting irritated We threw him hard ad dre his hind legs up to his head till he grunted When he was permitted to rise he looked meek and small and tired and We were both a little remorseful Ve rearranged the pack1 was some encouragement en-couragement to know he had not bucked it entirely offand by blindfolding blind-folding him we got him started on the I trail behind the train A 1 suppose that simplehearted Dutchman is looking at us from across I the river sad I to partner but no Ratter we are victorious This singular thing I noticed In the I Blue Rat His eYE did not roll nor his ears fall back He vas neither scared nor angrY He looked like a rogue I ish etermined boy fe was alert and I watchful but not vicious He ieemed I not to take our stern measure 1n bad art He regarded it as afairfnnact apparently and considered that we bad I scn True he bad lost both 1aii nd skin by getting tangled Int Tope but be iaidupnohinir against us anq seP S P ff followed meekly nlong i behind partner 1 I dared to say Hes aU right now I presume he has 1 bJen running out all winter and is a lUte wild Hes satisfied now Well haqromore trouble ih him Every tme I looked hack at the poor IiI tb1ed little chap my heart tingled I tvith pfty and remorse We were too rough I said Ve must be more gtiitle I JYes hes nervous and scary we must be careful not to give him a sudden sud-den st rt An hour later as we were going down a steep and slippery hH the BtsaW his chance He passed into another spasm open in and shutting likfla selactng jack knie he bounded into the midst of the peaceful pack horse scattering them to right and to left in terror He turned and came up the hill to get another start Partner took a turn on a stump and all unmindful of i the Rat whirled and made a mighty spring He reached the end of the rope and his handspring became a vaulting somersault somer-sault He layunabie to risespating the wind breathing heavily Such annoying annoy-ing enrgy I have never seen We ere I ncWmad muddy and very resolute We held hIm dawn till he lay quite still fAny wlcon dered properly bred nimal would have been ground to lDncdust by such wonderful acrobatic I I rltvements He was skinned fn 1 0 01 tWo p1htes the hair was scraped from ltii nose his tqpguebled but all thtze f were mere ser rles Then we repack ed him he walked off comparatively Unhurt un-hurt The iWo days flowing he went along like a faithful dog Every tIme I looked behind I could see the srur I little hap trotting alopg His head I hung Ida his actions were meek and loyal For a week he n1iiued thus I Plrtne + cameht ched to him and 1egn once anoretb make xcuseior him He will wil nevertroublets again he said Rain cme transtOztiing the trail into a series of bdtomleEs pits and greasy inclines and we were forced to lay In camp two days The Blue Rat stuffed himself on Deavine and bunch ras and on the third day pitched with undiminished vIgor This settled lila fate I mae up my mind to sell him Once I had determined upon his motives I could ot ford to bother with him any more He delayed us with his morning antics and made us the amusement of the outfits whIch overtook over-took adpamed us by reason of our lnteresing sessions with the Blue Rat He must go and I selected my Dur I chaser He was a Missourian from Butte He knew all there was to be kIovn about tri horses gold poll I tics and a few other things He considered con-sidered an the other men on the trail merely tenderfeet out for a picnic I Each time he passed us he had some drawling remark indicating his surprise sur-prise that we should be still able to move Him I selected to become the owner of the Rat I laid for him When he had eaten his supper one night I sauntered care l sl over to his tent I edged around by talking of he weather the tri and sa on and at last I saId Wed leave you behind if it werent for our bifie colt He delays us I How sa Oh he pitches S Pitches does he He smIled Id I mighty scan take that out of him if I f had him 4r suppose an experienced man like I yju could do i but we are unused to I these id horses Id like to sell him Ito I-to is the man ho knew l about such I amais Hes a fine pony strong as a lon but hes a tBrrlle bu ker I never saw hIs equal He smiled ifain indulgently Lets take a look at him he pbny h d fled his hay basket and ldl ed as i n cent as a worsted kitten iiee1ittle feUer shore thing said the Issourianas he patted the Rat Hes young and coltish Whatl you take loihlni lNow See hee stranger amfair Iran I tbnt want to deceive anyone That pony is B wonder He can put buck any hore west of the SelkIrk rang The old mans eyes were very aggra vathg tHe ieeds an old hand thats all jVlU I jeers shoulder the little cuss whist he was apichn his dam dest Vhatn you take for him Ill throw off 5 and you take Jthe rope but stranger he is the worst He refuse t listen He took the pqn A the t followed him off he roolteds small so sleepy so round and g nVe yOu wuld have said Tle gqea girls man wlt a pony for his little Ve aid off a day at Tchlncut lake We needed rest anyway and it was I safer to let the man from Butte go on I had mae every provision against mplaint on thenssourans part but I fL it the same time and cant b too al I I There were no returning footsteps on the long trl but a few days later j I I overtook the man from Indiana who had ben seesawing back and forth Lon the trail now ahead now behind I He had laid off a half day I He approached me with a curious look on his face Stranger what kind of a beat did r you put off Qn that feler from Butte A mighty trong capable little horse Why WhyWell say I was just apassing his I camp yesterday morning when the I thing took place Iway was lucky abo1dtsuch V Whnt happened queried 1 I dont wish any mans barn to burn strangers nor his horse t tae a fallout out n him but when anything does goon go-on I like to see it You see he had just drawed the lat knot on the pack and as I came up he said Hows this for a 10 pony I said pretty good Whod 01 get him off of A couple of tenderfeet he says who couldnt handle him Why hes r gentle u a dog then he slaps the pony on the rump The little devil lit out I both hind feet and took the old man on both knees and knocked him down over a packsaddle into the mud Ten he turned loose that pony did stranger i Phavesaw 11rs buckn plenty 3Iex Ican i bronks wild cyuses in Montana i anti all kinds a beats in California but I never seen the beatsot that blue pony He shore was n buclter from Biitl creek The Butte min lay there a ssittnd a fianin his two knees innisft whist a trail of four a I I beans an sacks an rubber boots led up > thehlanatthe far end of that trail but 30 y gds uptheurn cayuse was afeedin 111tha April Iamb What happened to him Who The Don Old Butte as soon a he could crawl a little he says Glmme my gun Ive been apacln on trails of the Rocky mountains for 40 years and I ever was done Uphefore Glmme that gun gn He sighted her stranger most vIcious and pulled trigger The pony gave one big jump and went a roln and 3 I crashin Into the gulch Youl never Butte kick again says the feler from Bute Poor little Blue Rat He had gone to the mystic mea4ows here no packsaddle pack-saddle could f low him RMLTN GARLAND |