Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-08-09
Written for TIE EVENING STAR.
A TRIP TO MONTANA.
Disastrous Career of a Fledgling Gov
ernment Agent.

DsaseTous SaTeer oI rIeuSllnS GOV.
ernment Agent.
WHAT HE THOUGHT HE WOULD DO AND WHAT HE
DID-RIDING A PENsIvE BRoNcHo-AMoSG THE
JoCULAR cowBoYs-How HE WAS BOXED UP
AND SENT HOME.
n was newly appointed agent for the
1FSh Department of Agriculture. Destina-
4 = ton. Montana, at that time only ter
\ "a I ritory. He felt his Importance in the
wsMJ world and took it for granted that every
one could see that he was a public official with
commission in his pocket. He had been COM
missioned to go out there among the buffaloes
and Indians and cowboys and horse thieves to
investigate the loco trouble, which was causing
the death Of so many registered horses and cat
tie, to say nothing of scrubs
He had no intention of skinning horses or Of
dissectng purifying cows. nor of experiment
ing with the so-cailed loco weeds food for
stock in order to discover which was poisonous
and which was not. He was Special Agent
with capital and A. Others could do that
sort OF work if they wished and he
would condescend to incorporate the
results of their labors in his report.
He d ride about on horseback at an easy pace,
partake or the good cheer here and there. AK
Few questions, go and look at the drled-up
carcass of some old ram that had died of ex-
posture and rundown system the previous
winter. and then write up ''locO" in a thor
oughly scientific and scholarly manner.
On he started with 200 or SO Ill his pocket.
He took the best berth and the best food the
trains could give and tipped tho walters right
and left In due course he reached Montana
and got off at place i'll the midst of good
stock region called Eagle Rock. 1t was beau
uful afternoon. nearly shutdown. He shaded
his eyes with his hand, looked out upon the
expansive plain and back into the Swallowed
gilch-not town or village, nor even
a hamlet in sight Nothing but a few stock
pens beside the track-not even platform or
freight shetland back a little way only two
or three log cabins. In front of the largest
cabin tive men, seated on powder kegs. were
peacefully smoking. They all wore sombreros
were booted and spurred. and had revolvers in
their belts. Hltched to tree by were
two cayuses saddled, which looked wonderfully
and resentfully out of their big eyes at this
finely dressed man, whose whole appearance
was so out of harmony with his picturesque and
untamed surroundings.
EAGLE ROCK.
The special agent lighted cigar. sauntered
| over to the house and asked the man nearest
the door where Eagle Rock was. Right here,
partner. This is the hotel; step inside" He
stepped inside and found himself in a combi-
nation OF bar room, post office and general
| store. On the lid of grocery box was i'll
scribed i'll red chalk: Pose Otlise" Most con-
spIcuous of all, however. were two huge re-
volvers, loaded and half cooked on the side
board below the mirror behind the
| bar. few chairs were ranged
along one wall and two card
tables occupied what remaining space was not
taken up by sacks OF flour and sides of bacon.
The four men outside soon came in and the
| special agent treated them and the landlord to
tran I'll TO- md n al
| aged to choke down two small swallows of the
| beastly stuff Then he called for sup
| per, which consisted chiefly of rusty
bacon and half-coOked beans and salt goldfish
| He couldn't and wouldn't stand that he said
We'll, SIT down to IT, for that's vi hat you'll git
here or nothin. ;" he was sharply told. Sumner
| number one. He had been expecting to feast
| on roast buffalo, venIson pie, stuffed grouse
| and fried trout. and then to be offered such a
! bill of fare! He was hungry and had to
make the best of it. 1t is true that
the coffee was black muddy. sugarless
| and creamless. that baking powder biscuits
heavy with grease. were substitutes for bread
| its true they used bacon grease for butter and
| its true that the dessert was wormy dried APP
| Piles stewed with wormy prunes but after all
he relished the meal pretty we'll When supper
was over they all went outside to enjoy the air
and slap mosquitoes.
| PECULIARITIEs OF THE CAYUsE.
In Montana the twilghts in summer are very
| delightful. One can see to read quite comfort
ably till 10 pm. of Il summer night without the
aid of artificial light. SO the COWBOYS. to
| whom the special agent had revealed his mis-
| sion and expressed his desire to have good
| saddle horse to use. suggested that one of their
| number should mount one of the saddle horses
| already mentioned and the agent the other
| The horses were saddled with the regulation
| Mexican saddles, which have two girths or
cinches instead of one. The cowboy
| who volunteered to accompany the stranger
| under the pretext of fixing the saddle so
1t can't turn" frightened the cinches especially
| the hind one, until the horses belly looked
| like that of big bull frog with a string drawn
up tight around mis- middle Now a cayuse can
stand 1t to live on poplar twlgs and grease
| wood and have his feet frozen solid for weeks
| at a stretch in winter, and he can-albeit he is
| but pony-bear to carry hundred and
| fifty pound man astrlde of a seventy-pound
| saddle for rs miles without stopping when a
qulrt persuades him that such feat is neces-
| sary, but when 1T comes to having his abdomen
CONSTRUCTED In the middle until his gatherings
| scrape acquaintance with his liver he obiec "a
on principle. mildly, at first, by trying to take
a piece out of the operators arm or elsewhere;
| that failing he waits with half-cIosed ewes and
tremulous lower lip, which just then hangs three
| Inches longer than his upper one, until the
rider mounts; then he demonstrates with con-
| siderable vehemence and artistic effect
| The cowboy mounted his own horse and the
| unsuspecting ''tenderfoot" sprang nimby into
| the saddle on the clnched horse. They started
| Suddenly the special agents horse stopped
| short. and had he not clutched the horn of the
| saddle over the horses head he would have
gone. Then the horse began to lope Just as
| suddenly as he had stopped; from Looping he
| went to jumping. Very soon he got his head
| down below his thorax, drew all four feet to-
gether, thus archng his back like
| an angry cat, and went jumping
| along stiff-legged-in other words
he ''bucked' in the most approved style. Most
cayuses are surprisingly proficient in this ele-
| certainly perfect master OF it, Now. as a
horse can't stand it to be cinched too tightly,
neither can the average man bear to be
| bucked too hard. The special agent soon got
| tired Of being bucked, and yelled to be let off
| This loosened his hold, whereupon. like a
| flash. he went through the air with meteoric
curves high over the horses head and fell
| fortunately for him, on the broad of his back
70 feet in advance. The treacherous cowboys
roared with delight at this free circus exhl-
bition. When their laugh WAS over they
good-naturedly picked the agent up, busted off
his clothes, and led him to the house.
AT THE END OF HIS ROPE.
The cowboys are kind-hearted fellows after
all. and once they had initiated the special
agent they treated him we'll They took him
Oh hunting and fishing expeditions to the
nelghborinR mountains; took him to the
roundup camp and showed him the processes
of catching and branding cattle and told him
heaps about ''loco;" they also showed him
through the silver mines of that section and
| altogether made him have a really pleasant