The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1882-05-09
A WORTHY CONTRACTOR.
How a Herd of Cattle Were Rescued
From a Knight of the Western
Wilds!
Colonel Dodge's eur Wild Indians.

Colonel Dodge's odr Wild Indians.
A few years ago the beef contractor
at one of the military posts in the Indian
Territory had an adventure which will
let him tell in his own idiom:
"Wall boys, 1 was mighty nigh onto
busted that time, an I'll tell you about
it You see, I'd worked hard an roughed
1t, and got nice little lot of cattle -
The contract for this post was to be let.
bid on it an got 1t Wall, my cattle
was none of the hest. The grass was
poor, and atore long the commandin'
officer says to me, says he, There's
complaints agin your beef. You must
do better, or I'll order the Commissary
to buy good beef aud charge it to YER
Says I, 'Commandin' officer, know my
beef is none Of the best, but give me a
little time and I'll git yer the very hest
All right says he; but do it, So next
mornin' put some money in my belt
and started for Texas. / houeht hun
dred and tiftv head OF firs.-class beef,
and hired Mexican boy 10 drive 'em.
He was only little chap, about twelve
years old, but he was powerful bright
and handy, and sand! lots I had a
breech.loadin' rifle and pistols, but the
Tnjuns was bad, so I bought double.
harreled shotgun for the boy. Every
thing went on all right till we'd got into
the Territory, about one hundred miles
from here. One mornin' we was movin'
along when man rode up to me He
was small sized man, but the hand
soonest man ever seed an dressed the
handsomest. He had on high boots, big
silver spurs an buck-skin breeches an
a hunting g-shirt all over fringes au' open
at the front. He had on a white billed
shirt and red silk neck-tie with long
ends fivin' behind Around his waist
was a red silk sash, an he wore regu.
lar Mexican somhrero, an his bride and
saddle were Mexican an covered with
silver He was on a splendid mustang
that bucked an SHE'D all the time, but
he rode him like a skin. I tell you,
boys. it was handsome outfit. "Good
mornin',' SAYS be, liften up his hat
mighty polite, Good mornin',' says I,
an with that we chatted along pleasant
like. He told me that he bad big herd
of cattle about three miles to the east,
an he was afraid Id give 'em the fever,
an he wanted me to keep more to the
left. off his range. Wall, I was agree.
able, an he kept with me a mile an
more, shown me where to go, an then,
thankin' me polite, he said good-bY an
rode off Wall, nov, boys, l had kept
on the course he told me for about two
hours, when, just beyant little rise,
drove right into my gentleman friend
an six other fellers. Ridin' right up to
me. my friend says, says he: After
thinking 1t over, have concluded to
take 'em in Wall, boys, l saw right
through the thing in mint. ] lknowed
it were no use to fight agin so many, so
I begged. l told him how l was stu.
ate; that if l didn't get them cattle to
the pos, | was ruina'ed. He listened a
few minutes pretty qnet, an l tho't l
had got him, when all at once he drawed
pistol, an all the other fellers drawed
their pistols at the same time.
"My FRIEND says he, I'VE don't take
no advantage of cattle men, but them
cattle of yours is the same as Govern
ment property. They is going TO feed
soldiers. All such property is as much
ours as anybodv's. Now you eil : and
with that he stuck bis cooked pistol IN
my face, an all the other six stuck their
cooked pistols at me. Wall, boys, me
and that Mexican-we left.
"Them fellows rounded up my cattle
an drove 'em back their own way -
Bovs, nv heart WAS most broke. reck
oned was most ruined if l lost them
cattle. Well, we travelled along for a
mile or more, when | made up nv mind.
Domingo saws to the little Mexican,
'are YOU afeared to stay and take care
of the hosses while I settle with them
chaps ? No. says he, AN I'll help you
ef YOU want me-
"Tbe country was about half prairie.
an t'o,her half the thickest kind Of
black jack and scrub oak thickets !
hid that boy an them bosses whar
bound couldn't 'er found 'em, and when
it got towards evenin' started on foot
to hnnt up my friends cattle camp, an
as l knowed had to get in my work in
the dark an at close range. took the
boys double. barrel shotgun, each bar
rel loaded with sixteen buckshot, and
big size at that
"About midnight ! found the herd.-
The cattle was held in a prairie with
,hickets all around it. / poked around,
keepin' in the tbickets They had about
thousand head, not countin' mine -
There was two men on herd. l poked
around until I found where my cattle
was. They knowed me, an didn't make
no fuss when went among 'em. Then
I laid down in the grass. In about an
hour one Of the herders rode right close
onto me, an let him have one barrel.
In mInit the other herder hollered
out, What the III is that T an gettin'
no answ be galloped right over ther
an give him The other barrel. l got
hack to the thicket an went to my camp
an to sleep. Next mornin' when the
sun was way up that boy he woke me
an says, saws he. 'Ther' havin' high
time in that camp; you had better he
lookin' after EN-. Wall, l got my
breakfast and went to look after EN-
They was in big commolion all of 'em
together, huntin' every where for nv
trail. / had wored moccaslns, an ]
knowed none of 'em fellers could foller
my trail. had another big advantage
of 'em. They couldn't 60 nowhere un-
less they was on hossback, and the brush
was so thick they had to ride in the open
prairie whar could see EN-. l poked
round 10 the thicket whar they couldn't
see me. Next night 1 tried it again, hut
they was all on herd and held the cattle
out on the prairie 80 fur from the woods
that l had no show Ichanged my plan
an went back to nv camp Next NOR
min was out early pokin' in the thick
els and watchin' A lot Of cattle graz
ed up toward pint of woods. / know
ed they would stop thar soon, 30 hid
in that pint Pretty soon feller came
chargin' round on full run after them
cattle. He was a likely chap, aud fel,
a little oneasy until | recogniz d him as
having stuck pistol in my face two
days before. got him. Wall, boys
there's no use in stringin' this thing