Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1882-05-11
GETTING BACK His OWN.
How Herd of Cattle Were Rescued Prom
Knight OF the Western Wfids.

/
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, I was mighty nigh onto
busted that time, and I'll tell you about
it. You see, I'd worked bard and
roughed IL and got nice little lot Of
cattle The contract for the post was
TO be let bid on it and got it. Wall,
my cattle was none of tho best. The
grass was poor, and afore long the com
mandin' officer says to me, says he
There's complaints agin your beef.
You must do better or I'll order the com.
missary to buy good beef and charge it
to yer Says /, 'Commandin' Officer, i
know my beef is none OF the best, but
give me little time and I'll git yer the
very best.'s All right says he, but
do it, So next mornin' / put some
moneyin my belt and started for Texas.
bought hundred and fifty head
OF first class beef, and hired q Mexican
boy 10 drive EN-. He was only a little
chap, about twelve years old, but he
was powerful bright and handy, and
sand lots had breech- -loadin' rife
and pistol, but the IniunB was bad, SO
bought a double.barreled shotgun for
the boy. Everything 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 q small
sized man, but the handsomest man l
ever seed an dressed tho handsomest.
He had on high boots, big silver spurs
an buckskin breeches an q hunting.
shirt all over fringes an open at the
front. He had on a white billed shirt
and a red silk neck-tie with long ends a
fyin' behind. Around his waist there
was red -;;E sash an he wore u regu-
lar Mexican sombrero an his bride
and saddle was Mexican an covered
with silver. He was on a splendid
mustang that bucked and hhied
all the time, but he rode him
like 4 skin. / tell you, boys, il was
handsome outfit. Good mornin','
says he. liiien up his hat mighty po-
lite. Good mornin'.' says I, and with
that we chatted along pleasnn. like.
De told me that he had a 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, was agreeable,
an he kept with me for a mile an more,
shown me where TO 60, an then thank.
in me polite, he said goodbye an
rode of. Wall, now. boys. I had kept
on the course he told me for sbout two
hours, when just beyant a title rise
drove right into my gentleman friend
an six other iollers. Ridin' right up
to me, my friend says, says he: After
thinEin' it over have concluded TO
take en- in Wall. boys, I saw right
through the thing in a mint. knowed
/ il we're no use to figh agin 70 many, so
I begged. told him how I was stu.
ate, that il didn't get them cattle 10
tho post was ruinaied. He listened
few minutes pretty quiet, an / thot ]
had him, when all at once he drawed 3
pistol, an all the other fellers drawei
their pistols at the same tina
"My friend, says he, we doa'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 anybody's. Now you git r and
with that he stuck his cooked rigtol 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 cat
lie an drove 'em back their own way.
Boys. my heart was most broke
reckoned was most ruina'ed IL lost
them cattle. Wall. We travelled along
for a mile or more, when made mp my
mind. Domingo says to the little
Mexican, are you afeard to stay and
take care Of the hosses while settle
with them chapsT No. says he. 'an'
I'll help you ef you want me-
"The country was about half prairie,
an t'other half the thickest kind OF
blacx JACK and scrub oak thickets.
bid that boy an them hosses whar
hound couldn't 'er found 'em, aud when
IL got towards evenin' I started on foot
to hunt up my friends cattle camp. an
as knowed bad 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, an
big size at that.