Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1888-09-06
A NARROW ESCAPE.
Besieged By a Herd Of Half Wild
Texas Cattle.
The Danger of Hunting on Foot on the
Western Plains-A Race for Life
Brave Cowboys Hurry
to the Rescue.

One morning in August, after we
had been at the Sierra La Sal about
five weeks, set off to shoot "cotton-
tails" took double-barreled shot
gun. and proceeded on horseback as far
as the corrals and log cabins Of a squad
OF cattlemen three miles below our
camp. Four cowboys and herd boss
named Little were here patroling the
upper line of an extensive range on
which were grazing fifteen or twenty
thousand head of the half-wild Texas
cattle of these Western ranches.
AS it was already past "sun-up" l
was not surprised to find no one at the
corrals; the boys were all out on the
range. Dismounting and tying my
pony inside the horse pen, first ar
ranged my cartridges and other equip
ments for rapid loading, and then
started forth on foot over the rough
ground beyond the corrals.
Furrowed in zigzag course across
the plain was dry, shallow arroyo, at
this time of year well stocked with the
small game l was after, and in the
course of an hour or so had as many
birds as l could comfortably carry.
And then, after a short rest, l climbed
out of the plain and took short cut
for the corrals. Ny course led me
along the upper edge of the cattle. who
were grazing in scattered "bunches "
all over the lower end of the valley.
had gone perhaps half a mile,
when l became aware of a strange
commotiOn among the feeding thou
sands. For it CHANGED that l had now
come upon little swell of land, some
what higher than the surrounding
plain. and had stopped for moment
to watch the pastoral scene. = Present
ly noticed that the cattle were no
longer grazing quietly in groups. but
seemed. as by a common impulse. to be
moving up the valley. / could see
bunch after bunch lift their heads,
and. after watching for short time
the movements of those in front, join
in the slow procession.
My first thought was that the cow
boys. for some reason or other. were
driving them toward the corral; but
then reflected that if such were the
case, those in the rear would be the
first to start. instead of, as was the
case. following the lead of those in
front. Besides. instead Of stopping to
snatch an occasional mouthful of grass,
as they would do if they were being
driven, they came on with heads in the
air. as though attracted by some Curl
Gus sight
1t was not long before the whole
drove was in motion. and. as watched.
noticed that the drift was not in par
allel, but in convergent lines. as though
they were attracted to a common CEN
ter, and in another instant it flashed
over me that that center waS-myself!
A very strange sensation stole over
me at this discovery. and l now re-
membered Little's saying once that
while these Texas cattle do not mind a
man on horseback. it would be dam
gerous thing to go amongst them on
foot-the sight of a dismounted man
being almost unknown to them. since
the cowboys invariably ride.
As l looked at the slow-moving thou
sands. could well imagine that even
If curiosity was the only motive i'm
polling them, yet the momentum of
those in the rear might so press the
forward ranks that man would have
little chance to escape being trodden to
death by the pushing throng.
But there was strong reason to sus-
pect that less innocent motives than
mere curiosity might actuate them.
for knew the untamed. violent natu re
of this half-wild stock. and that they
we're not to be trifled with.
As yet the distant red-brown throngs
were only slowly drifting down upon
me, but l thought that detected symp-
toms of uneasiness in those in front
and at once concluded that had bet
ter. in the plains vernacular, ''hustle
myself. and hunt my hole"
The distance to the corrals was two
miles or more. l knew that l could
not reach that point. and at once de.
cided to seek safety in the arroyo.
which lay behind me-about half a
mile, as l have already said. The
thought struck me, too, that to run. OF
even to turn my back upon them. might
incite and draw this curious, living
avalanche headlong upon me. there
fo.o slammed hacl<ward nc n,,icl>lr "a