But the men caught him and
brought him on to the stables, where there was trouble at once, for
almost every man in the troop claimed ownership. So it was finally
decided by the captain that as soon as the troop had been paid the
horse should be raffled, that each man in that one troop could have
the privilege of buying a chance at one dollar, and that the money
should go in the troop fund. This arrangement delighted the men, as it
promised something new in the way of a frolic.
In due time the paymaster arrived, the men were paid, and then in a
few minutes there was brisk business going on over at the quarters of
the troop! Every enlisted man in the troop--sergeants, corporals, and
privates, eighty-four in all--bought a chance, thus making a fine sum
for the fund. A private won the horse, of whom Lieutenant Isham
immediately bought him and presented him to me.
He is about fifteen hands high and not in the least of a pony build,
but is remarkably slender, with fine head and large intelligent eyes.
Just what his color is we do not know, for he is stained in red-brown
stripes all over his body, around his legs, and on his face, but we
think he is a light gray. When he wandered to camp, a small bell was
tied around his neck with a piece of red flannel, and this, with his
having been so carefully stained, indicates almost conclusively that
he was a pet.
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