Chapter II: A Riderless Pony.—the Buffalo Wallow

PONY appreciated the tender herbage, and the grateful shade of the wildwood, for he was "a dear lover of nature," after his manner, and perhaps would have voted, if admitted to the right of suffrage, to spend the remainder of the season there, could winsome Alice be near. He might cast his ballot thus, were it not for two objections—the grain he would miss and the titbits from the McElroy table, and the insects that abounded in the forest.

Flourish, and flirt, and lash his luxuriant tail, shake his comely mane, toss his shapely head, stamp his delicate feet, suddenly trot to a fresh place, no matter what violence or strategy he used, the hungry flies would persist in trying to suck the life-current through his sleek skin. In fact, his exertions, whether offensive or defensive, increased his troubles, attracting his foes from afar, till the air swarmed with whizzing, buzzing, trumpeting blood-suckers.

Strange, is it not, that so insignificant a trifle as a tiny fly can so harass and baffle a quadruped heavy enough to outweigh millions on millions of such enemies?

Pony endured the torture and fought the battle with as much patience and valor as, perchance, you or I would, were we subject to his annoyance. But even horseflesh will not bear everything. And pony, desirous of permanent relief, darted out from under the ravenous cloud of pitiless parasites, and trotted to where he left his gentle young mistress, attaining the flowery bank where she had sat, and uttering a questioning whinny simultaneously, as much as to say,—

"Please, Miss Alice, shall we not hasten out upon the breezy prairies?"

But the pretty wee animal saw no Alice there!

He snorted, pricked forward his tremulous ears, smelt of the earth, then of the bunches of flowers; neighed loud and shrill; waited, trembling with excitement for the familiar reply,—furiously shaking his head and whisking his tail the while at the pursuing insects,—dashed down the river bank, scenting the ground as he went, like a hound on the track; turned, and smelt up along the border of the stream; paused suddenly, as if to deliberate, then wildly wheeled about, and, with mad swiftness, struck a straight course for the fort.

How wonderful is instinct! What so excited pony? Why did he hunt for a trail that should guide to the missing girl? Why his alarm and concern? What caused him precipitately to relinquish the search, and speed homeward as if on an errand of life or death? Ah, if the dumb, yet ofttimes singularly intelligent brutes could all speak, as did the prophet's wiser beast, what might we not learn from their now sealed lips! What an infinite gulf between their inarticulate muteness and human speech! O, what our condition, were we like them unable, as a race, to embody our thoughts in words! God be praised for the gift of speech, for who but He give it us and denied it to them?

"Miss Alice, whar' you be?" And black Nancy's ebony face peered into closets, clothes-presses, behind doors, and under beds. "Now you jist stop foolin'! Dinner's bin coolin' more'n half an hour, and yer father and mother are that worried. Can't yer 'make strouble' 'nough widout hidin' away when eberyting is a spilin'! Come, honey, dat's a good girl; come eat yer dinner."

But remonstrate, scold, reason, and coax as the affectionate negress would, there was no answer.

Perseveringly the servant continued her search, hoping each instant that from some place of concealment her frolicsome charge would spring forth as she was wont, and with ringing peals of laughter, fling her dimpled arms around her neck with a kiss, or scamper through the halls, challenging pursuit.

The colored waitress's brow became knitted with anxiety, and reentering the dining-room, she said,—

"Please, marm, I can't find Miss Alice no whar!"

"O, well," pleasantly returned the lady, "she is probably in at Mrs. Colonel Thomas's. You just step across the square, and inquire."

The general and his wife were rising from the table when black Nancy returned, reporting that she had visited all the officers' rooms, and could get no tidings of Alice.

"It is certainly very strange," observed Mrs. McElroy, going to the window. "But what does this mean?" she quickly added, as the sound of a horse's feet smote upon the ear. "Pony has rushed into the yard, covered with sweat and foam, saddle and bridle on, but riderless!"

"Call Charley," gravely said the general.

The lad instantly made his appearance.

"Charley," asked the general, "have you been to ride with Alice to-day?"

"No, sir," he replied.

"Do you know if she went?"

"I do not."

Black Nancy now recalled with dismay that Alice apprised her the night before that she intended to ride in the morning, requesting her to tell Charley to be ready to attend her, all of which had been forgotten till this moment.

"I fear she ventured alone, and something has happened to her," remarked the mother, turning pale. "When did you first miss her from the house, Nancy?"

"Dunno, missus, zactly. 'Parently 'twas 'bout eight, missus, when de hat was taken from de place whar—"

"Eight o'clock; who was on guard, husband, at the gate, then?"

"Call private O'Connor," said the general.

"O'Connor, did my daughter pass out on her pony when you were on duty this morning?" asked the general, as that worthy entered.

"An' indade did she, the blissed crayther," answered the Hibernian.

"Was any one with her?"

"Not a sowl, yer honor, save her own swate self, sure; an', says I, the Howly Vargin be praised, but if there's a saint in heaven, sure an' she's that same, her hair stramin' an' her eyes sparklin', a ridin' off so light an' aisy—"

"Rub down the pony, and put him up," sharply interrupted the general. Then, addressing his weeping wife, he said,—

"Don't distress yourself, dear; I will go out at once with men enough to scour the prairies far and near. We shall certainly find her."

As if by electricity, the sad news of the loss of Alice went through the fortress, and, as if by magic, a force duly instructed, well mounted, and provisioned so as to be able, if necessary, to remain through the night, was departing for the search, each member of the expedition ambitious of being the one to restore the missing girl to her parents.

As the company left, O'Connor was leisurely grooming pony. A remarkable insubordination seized the little animal.

Jerking at the halter, and kicking with both hind heels to impart force to the jerks, and at the same time keep the Irishman at bay, the strap parted, and pony, at liberty, started after the soldiers.

"Howld, howld, ye baste!" shouted O'Connor, running to head pony off. And by a short cut getting in front of her, he furiously brandished the curry-comb.

But pony had a will for once, and a temper, too.

Laying flat her ears, and drawing back her lips, disclosing double rows of formidable teeth, she made directly for the Celt, as if to eat him.

With a wild whoop Erin fled, pony following, her glistening ivories within an inch of his pate. The spectators in windows and court, overcome at the ludicrousness of the rare spectacle, laughed and applauded, forgetful for the moment of the loss of Alice, till Erin took refuge in a friendly doorway. Then pony galloped out upon the prairie, and joined the cavalcade.

That wise and experienced officer, General McElroy, had laid out the work of hunting up Alice with far-sighted and systematic skill. The men were divided into squads, each with its distinctive mission, and all to report often to him. Signals were appointed which would enable the most widely separated corps to communicate with each other, and with the commander-in-chief.

How like clockwork is military discipline! In this instance, however, there was one connected with the expedition irreducible to rules. That was pony, the volunteer. Defying orders, signals, and the ordained plan, the bantam steed would proceed in "one" direction, and that only. He even aspired to lead—the usurper. If the cavalry followed, how pleased he seemed! If they swerved from the route he preferred, he would curve and canter up to them, then back to "his" track, neighing for them to come also.

Pony's mute though eloquent appeals and manœuvres attracted the attention of Captain Manly. He was a close observer, was versed in natural history, and passionately fond of good horses. He was aware that not alone that useful animal, but the dog, the elephant, and others of the dumb kingdom, frequently exhibit a marvellous sagacity. Thrusting his spurs into his own beast, he was quickly at the side of his superior.

"General," said he, making the military salute, "the horse your daughter rode this morning having, it appears, broken loose from confinement, is hovering near my men. The little animal acts, I think, as if it would lead us to some particular locality. It may be a whim of mine, but I fancy it might not prove amiss to humor the creature, and see what comes of it."

"Singular, very," ejaculated the gray-bearded veteran, levelling his glass at pony. "Every movement of the animal is instinct with intelligence. Do as you please, captain, and if anything turns up, signalize promptly."

"I have great faith in horses," remarked the captain, on rejoining his command, to a brother officer. "They differ in intelligence just as men do. Some are stupid, others acute. Some love their owners, others care only for the stall mere eye and trencher servants.

"Observe what a sensitive organization has that pony. His nostrils and ears,—the latter ever in motion, alert for the faintest whisper,—trim limbs, clear, bright eye, proud, self-conscious carriage,—there's a world of affection and good sense in that beast. I owe my life to a horse like that—except that mine was large and powerful.

"It was on the plains. A messenger arrived at our station, stating that a stage had been attacked by Indians, and imploring relief. Most of my command had been detailed as escort to an immigrant train; but taking ten men with me, we hurried to the scene of action.

"The crack of rifles and yell of savages urged us forward, and rounding a bluff, we were at once on the battle-field. The stage had been captured, and was filled with Indians, while a redskin sat on each of the four horses. The fellows, with gory scalps dangling, were enjoying a ride. Several bodies of dead and wounded whites lay around, while in the distance, the fight was still raging, showing that some of the passengers had survived the onslaught.

"I comprehended at a glance how matters stood. The plains, you know, are all dotted with round hollows, say a dozen feet across, called, 'wallows.' To these, the huge buffalo resorts to roll, covering himself with a coating of moist earth to rid himself of the lively little eaters infesting his shaggy hide.

"In one of these buffalo wallows four men had found refuge, their heads being just visible; and riding dexterously and rapidly in a circle about them, shooting arrows or fire-arms, were not less than a hundred and fifty Indians. The cunning copper-faces would keep their bodies on the side of their ponies away from the white men, making a galloping breastwork of each horse.

"The danger was that the whites would exhaust their ammunition; then the rascally savages would show no favor.

"The Indians were between us and the men in the wallow, and the intervening bluff had concealed our approach. Giving word to charge on the savages, in order to break through to the rescue of the whites, whose fire was slackening, we rushed with a cheer to the onset. The surprise was complete, and at first successful. But perceiving the handful I had with me, the scattering savages rallied, and assaulted us with great ferocity.

"An arrow-head struck my arm. The reins dropped. My horse reared; I lost my balance, and was hurled violently to the ground. Before recovering from the shock, a savage was upon me to take my scalp.

"Utterly at his mercy, he would soon have finished the job, when, with a defiant snort, my faithful beast swept up, and seizing my assailant in her capacious mouth, dragged him over, and trampled him with her fore feet. How she smote and bruised him! It was a terrific sight.

"I had by this time regained my feet, and remounting, being better armed, we succeeded in putting the Indians to flight."

"The instinct of the brute is a great puzzle to me," remarked his comrade, "it is so marvellously quick, subtle, and unerring. It seems, in certain respects, to surpass reason. There, for example, is the honey-bee. The honey-hunter repairs to the fields provided with a little box containing honey. Catching some bees, he shuts them within, and through the glass top watches till he sees that they have loaded themselves with the sweet liquid. The insect is then liberated. It rises in the air, flies round in several widening: circles, till, having ascertained the direction of its home, it makes directly for it, the hunter following, sure that if he retains the bee in sight, he shall find the honey-tree.

"Now, how does the insect—no matter how far or where the hunter bore it while imprisoned in the box—find out the right way home, and not only so, but reach it by a perfectly straight, or, as it is termed, 'a bee line'?"

"The horse will do the same thing," said the captain. "I had ridden one day forty miles across trackless prairies—an entirely new route to me. On returning, the sky became overcast, and not having a compass, I got lost. Giving the reins to my horse, the sagacious animal chose an opposite course from that I had been pursuing, carrying me across marshes and streams, and through almost impenetrable thickets, by, I subsequently learned, an almost mathematically direct line to my destination. And yet the country was as new to him as to me.

"But see, there are woods! Pony is entering them. Ah, yonder's a river; and what is this on the bank?" he earnestly exclaimed.

For there lay Miss Alice's hat, containing a few withered flowers, and near by two partially arranged bouquets!