t for the road to the best feed, and the nine
mares drifted, of course, to the prairie of Antelope Springs, twenty
miles to the southward, And when, later that summer Foster went to round
them up, he found the nine indeed, but with them and guarding them with
an air of more than mere comradeship was a coal-black stallion, prancing
around and rounding up the bunch like an expert, his jet-black coat a
vivid contrast to the golden hides of his harem.

The mares were gentle, and would have been easily driven homeward
but for a new and unexpected thing. The Black Stallion became greatly
aroused. He seemed to inspire them too with his wildness, and flying
this way and that way drove the whole band at full gallop where he
would. Away they went, and the little cow-ponies that carried the men
were easily left behind.

This was maddening, and both men at last drew their guns and sought a
chance to drop that 'blasted stallion.' But no chance came that was not
9 to 1 of dropping one of the mares. A long day of manoeuvring made
no change. The Pacer, for it was he, kept his family together and
disappeared among the southern sand-hills. The cattlemen on their jaded
ponies set out for home with the poor satisfaction of vowing vengeance
for their failure on the superb cause of it.

One of the most aggravating parts of it was that one or two experiences
like this would surely make the mares as wild as the Mustang, and there
seemed to be no way of saving them from it.

Scientists differ on the power of beauty and prowess to attract female
admiration among the lower animals, but whether it is admiration or the
prowess itself, it is certain that a wild animal of uncommon gifts soon
wins a large following from the harems of his rivals. And the great
Black Horse, with his inky mane and tail and his green-lighted eyes,
ranged through all that region and added to his following from many
bands till not less than a score of mares were in his 'bunch.' Most were
merely humble cow-ponies turned out to range, but the nine great mares
were there, a striking group by themselves. According to all reports,
this bunch was always kept rounded up and guarded with such energy and
jealously that a mare, once in it, was a lost animal so far as man was
concerned, and the ranchmen realized soon that they had gotten on the
range a mustang that was doing them more harm than all other sources of
loss put together.

II

It was December, 1893. I was new in the