A few words of explanation, and I recognized him as the fellow who had, in partnership with another, bought an Indian pony, of which mention has been made in a previous chapter. I felt sympathy for him during his first adventure, and I did this time also, and said to him, “Be careful, Pat; you will lose all your money.”
“Och! never fear; that fellow there has claned them all out in the Boi-se basin. Oh, but he is a swange cat, so he is; and he will show them how to take a poor man in when he’s foot-sore and tired, so he will, too. Now, do you mind what I’m telling yous? That lad here can tell you how he flies. Och! but he’s a swate one, so he is.”
Pat went on his way with his heart full of hope. A few days after, the boy who had gone down with him returned homeward. To my inquiry about how Pat made out, racing horses, he shrugged his shoulders and replied, that “the Injuns cleaned us out!”
Another party, who had heard of the Umatilla race horses, passed down toward the Reservation. This man’s name was French Louie. He had several fine racers with him. I learned his destination, and gave him a few words of caution. But he replied that he “knew what he was about.” He had “a horse that had ‘swept the track,’ all the way from the Missouri river, at Denver City, Salt Lake, Boi-se, and Baker City. Never fear. I’ll teach those Indians something they never knew, before I get through with them.”
Poor fellow, I felt sorry for him. On his arrival on the Reservation he found chances to invest his money. The men he came to teach were apt scholars in tricks that are shrewd.
He led out a horse, and made a small bet and lost, as he intended to. The next run the Indians played him the same game, until, thinking he had learned the speed of their horses, Louie proposed to wager all his money, horses, saddles, and, in fact, stake everything upon one race.
That man and his attendants went home on little ponies which the Indians gave them in charity.
How-lish-wam-po, chief of the Cayuses, is the owner of a horse with which he has challenged any and every sporting man in the country.
Several parties have visited Umatilla, bringing with them men and boys to drive home the herds of Indian horses they were “going to win.”
One party imported a horse for the express purpose. He made known his desire, and he, too, soon found opportunity for an investment. The preliminaries were arranged, and the race was to be run over the