Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1880-01-02

water 8 should force him out.
Ed also took the precaution to place
his gun, loaded and cooked, close at
his hand. But the joke#of it was, we
did not see the other hole, out by the
rock, for it was partially under the rock,
and no dirt had been thrown out there
The distance down to the creek was
not moro than 100 feet. The bank,
however, was rather steep. But Zofe
and 1 got to- work, at q trot, up, and
back, with our buckets and pot, sending
water down the hole, while Ed lay, with
drawn bat~stiok, xaad to strike.- -. .p..-,-
We had carried up eight or ten
buckets of water apiece, when suddenly
the animal popped his head out at the
lower hole, but caught sight of Ed in
the act of striking, and instantly drew
back. The bat came down with
tremendous whack across the hole, but
didn't hit the cayote.
Keep it UP, boys!" he shouted, "I'll'
fetch him next time!" -
We kept it up for six or eight turns
more Ed orouching, with his eye in
tently fixed on the hole, when, hearing
slight noise out by the rock, Zefeaud.
I looked round, and 10! the cayote was
just taking leavel
We yelled to Ed.
He jumped up, and for moment
acted as if he could not believe his own
eyes, then snatched the gun and fired
after the creature. But it had got too
far away to be hurt.
The cayote did not come back to this
hole. Perhaps we had made it too
damp for his health. He used still to
call on us nights, however, and; take
what was left unprotected. We got
glimpses of him now and then, and,
after time, found that he had settled
at another hole, on the opposite side of
the creek, half mile farther on ~ -
Late that fall we met with a loss.
The winter transforms are cold and
chilling Oh these unsheltered plains.
We thought it too cold for our cattle,
and were foolish enough to build a
long shed, to break the force of the
"northers."
We made the roof of this shed
of oiled cloth, nailed to light rafters,
and the back, or north side, we made. of
brush, twined in pretty closely.
The cattle liked it; that was the
trouble. They took to it SO nicely that
when the first really severe storm came,
in December, they stacked at one end of
it; and the result was that next morn
ing we took out SIX dead steers! They
had crowded and trampled each other
to death.
We hauled down our shed directly.
It is far safer to let the cattle shift for
themselves and get into the runs and
hollows when the storms come. Texan
herders are now agreed that it is better
for their stock to 60 unhoused.
These six 2-year-olds made fine
feast for the cayotes and Indian dogs,
after we had hauled the carcasses on to
the prairie. If we had had strychnine
we might, no doubt, have destroyed
numbers of them. : =. -, -:
Many herders keep strychnine to
poison the wolves with. Sometimes
however, they will not pick up bait
thus seasoned; and the cayote is not 8
creature easily caught in trap.
But we hit on, q method Of Kidding
ourselves of our eayote neighbors, less
laborious than drowning them out. o.
rather it was Zofe Whiting who hit on
the new plan. Twill give the fellow his
due, for he was not worth much to Ut
in any other way,
Zofe left us in the latter part of June
Where he went We did not know; mol
did he know where he was going. But
I learned afterward that. he, went t.
Las Animas, and after time gotta jot
digging holes for telegraph-posts, along
the new railway, not very far from thai
place.
They had way of digging these
holes that may be new to. one. INSTEAD
of putting an Irishman to work with
spade, they sent one man along will
an iron crow, to punch. holes in tn
ground three feet and a half deep, a
the places vi here the poles we're to b
set. !:
| Behind the man with the crowba
came second man with a bucketful o
dynamite cartridges. On coming to
bar-hole, he lighted the fuse of cart
ridge, dropped it. to the,bottem 9th
|
| Presently there came an explosion
which blew out the earth all about tn
hole, leaving, pit as big as -four bal
rel. The men with the posts had no,
only to heel them in and fill in the dir
Two men with those cartridges cou1
sink $50 holes in day, whereas tw
men with spades could not dig mo,
than fifty holes.
Zofe had the job of carrying an
lighting the cartridges, at $40 montl
1t was rather dangerous business, br
it had this advantage-it was light wor
and nobodyiimpesed upon him, OF. cam
fooling around while he was in di
charge of his duty. =:
Zofe had rather liked us, and th
next spring, in March, he came alon
one day with his old glazed-cloth wallis
stuffed full of his toys; the same oil
Zofe. That evening, Is we sat roun
= the fire, he inquired for our old frien
the cayote. I've got something" sal
he, "that'n hist him." -
e We, of course, wanted to know VIII
it was. ] 's ~.
8 He said he would tell us in the NOR
ing. T,ss..i -. Lib soy. :.
: The next morning, after breakfast,
undid his valise, and pulled out ten
!, fifteen of these dynamite cartridge
They were lying loose in the bottom
the bag, together with specimens OF OF
a an old revolver and three or four stu1
of matches. 1872 ti# -.
The foolish, careless fellow had BET
carrying those about IN that manner i
weeks, on the, cars and in stAges, Al
= his old valise had. set within six feet
our open fire ell night That was Zol
y We had a crowbar for setting corr.
posts, and Zofe told us TO take it al
We crossed over vel the the creek, ,k and we
y up to the cayotes hole. This burroww
u much like the first one having two
. three entrancesa Zofe looked It owe
!. and, choosing point about midway
,. the entrances. told Ed to punch he
II Ed worked the bar down till at leng
it broke through into the burrpw q
% went down nearly the whole length of
9, @Thatis Just the thing. said Zoi
~ pull it cut.
Z ~ ~