A FOOLHARDY FEAT.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XIII, Issue 27, 30 October 1885, Page 3

A FOOLHARDY FEAT.

A gentleman who came in on the Northern Pacific Railroad yesterday adds another to the list of startling ■' cowboy stories of the wild west When the train stopoed at Medora, the headquarters of the Marquis of Mores and Theodore Roosevelr, some ten or a dozen cowboys, mounted on their typical horses of the plains were cutting all kinds of capers and giving a sort of free show for the edification and amusement of the citizens and passengers. The boya had just come in from a round up, and were flush with money and consi lerably flushed with Dakota taaglefo.it. The railroad bride, which spans the Little Missouri river at this point is at least 100 ft above the surface of the water. To enable footmen to cross a narrow plank-walk— not more than two feet wide-is laid along on the ties, from shore to shore, in the centre of the bridge. It requires steady nerve for a man to mako the trip successfully, without losing his balance and falling through between the ties into the river far below, which, of c mrse, would mean certain death. Two of the cowboys, more reckless than their companions, lode their horses upon the track at a rapid g-ut, and then, in single file, dashed on the bridge and made for the other side, fl* ing along tne narrow plank walk ]ust as if they were racing across the prairie after an obstre* p.-rom bovine

The spectators were thrilled with horror, and expected to see the two daring men dashed to death at every jump the horses made Ibe riders yelW-d vociferously, and roHe with the same easy confidence they always diaplay when at home on the plains. (Xie of them was somewhat in advance of the other, and the passengers were astonished and their suspense greatly relieved when he reached i be other side safely and gavev.nt to a regular yell of triumph. But his companion was not so lucky. He was within thirty yards of the end of the bridge, going at full speed, when the horse stumbled The rider was seen to sway to and fro for a few seconds and to make a desperate effort to pull the animal on its feet again, and then Inth went down in a heap. The crowd of lookers on, with one imDulse gave vent to a cry of terror, and a number of people started out out on the bridge to render assistance to the seemingly unfortunate fellow. But almost immediately the fallen cowboy arose, helped the noise upon its feet in some miraculous way, mounted, and cleared the remaining space with a rush, yelled like a demon as he flew down the track on the other side, in hot pursuit of his companion, who was almost out of sight, and running as if he were trying to get out of the way of a cyclone. If horse or rider was injured neither showed signs of it from the distance that intervened. Evidently the horse fell over on its t-ide on the board walk and manag-d to keep its legs free from the spaces between the ties, thus saving itself from serious injury. It was one of the most foolhardy feats on record.— *. Paul Pioneer Prcit,.

Feeble ladies, aged person*., weakly chiidien, persons of sedentary babits, all need American Co.'s Hop Biters drulv. Believe. London Truth, discussing: recent Iri-,h agricultural statistics says: '• I give it as my deliberate opinion that the inhabitants of Arranmore ought, in justice, to pay no rent whatevei. There is nothm" in Arran of any value at all winch h is not been fished up out of the'sea hy the poor people. The island is as much theirs as if they had made it with their own hands. With tbeir own hands they have, most truly and literally, made it, so far as it is a place capable of supporting human hfs. They ought to btand absolutely lent free. I declare, if I were an Arran fisherman, I would sooner throw my rent into the Atlantic Ocean than pay it to any landlord whatever. Arran is, no doubt, an extreme sample, but what is true of Arran k> the fullest extent is true also, in a somewhat lesser degree, of all the islaudg, and of very many other parts of Ireland,"