Every horse by instinct is afraid of a bear, but more particularly a
range-raised one. It's the same instinct that makes it impossible to
ride or drive a range-raised horse over a rattlesnake. Well, after the
boys had petted their mounts and quieted their fears, they were still
reluctant to leave camp, but stood around for several hours, evidently
feeling more secure in our presence. Now and then one of the free ones
would graze out a little distance, cautiously sniff the air, then trot
back to the others. We built up a big fire to scare away any bear or
wolves that might he in the vicinity, but the horses stayed like invited
guests, perfectly contented as long as we would pet them and talk to
them. Some of the boys crawled under the wagon, hoping to get a little
sleep, rather than spread their bed where a horse could stampede over
it. Near midnight we took ropes and saddle blankets and drove them
several hundred yards from camp. The rest of the night we slept with one
eye open, expecting every moment to hear them take fright and return.
They didn't, but at daylight every horse was within five hundred yards
of the wagon, and when we unhobbled them and broke camp that morning, we
had to throw riders in the lead to hold them back.
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