The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-06-15
QUICK WITH THE TRIGGER.
Saved From Being Buried With Dead
IL

Saved From Being Buried With Dead
Cattle on Top of Him.
81 tell you if a cowboy amt quick with
his gun he don't stand much chance" said
Dave Peterson, one of the best-known
sDortsmen, drovers and ranchmen Of the
Western plains i've seen the time NOR n
once when quick finger on the trigger was
all that stood between me aud kingdom
come. Bless our soul, a man that handles
cattle has the most dangerous encounters
with animals, and he can't always stop and
take aim an study bout whereabouts he's
a-goin' to hit Sometimes he just has to hit
an be done with it. | remember one time L
was working with big drove that we were
wntering in Texas, and was going to start
north with 'em in the spring.
1--WE had fine weather all through NOvem-
Der and December, but about the beginning
of January wet weather set in that just
chilled us to the bone. an in spite Of every
thing that we could do the cattle begin
drifting. Every cattleman knows what
that means. The very Old Nick couldn't
stop herd of cattle when they begin TO
drift, and all we could do was to ride along
and pretend to lead 'em, and keep them to-
gethtr as much as possible, aud try to get
| I'm quieted down. Well, they finally drifted
| into section Of country where there hadn' {
| been any rain in ] don't know how many
weeks and everything was as dry as bone.
| The grass wasn't so bad, but the water was
all gone. We were all working for dear life
| trying to get the herd rounded back. for il
was getting dangerous quarters. a big herd
| of cattle starving for water is no fun. None
| of us bad had any sleep or rest for two
days, and still we didn't dare to stop min
ute.
"The first break was made by big red
Texas steer, with long, wicked horns, point
nH rH N
had noticed him right smart on the trip, for
| he always worked pretty well in the lead,
| and | had been knowing for several days
| that he meant mischief. But that morning
| / was riding slowly back and forth around
| the head Of the herd, trying gently to turn
! them, if ever so little, and all at once heard
! a below, and then a rush from the direction
| of the herd, and before | knew anything
| that steer had torn my horses side open
| with one of his wicked horns. The horse
| staggered forward few feet and fell, and
was on my feet before he touched the
| ground, but man on foot, with about 90
| 600 head OF vicious cattle on one side OF him
| and the open prairie on the other, amt got
| much time for ceremony.
"There was a little elump O. scrub oaks
| about hundred yards away, an | lit out for
them like a house afire, but l hadn't any
| more hopes of ever reaching them alive than
| | nave of ever being member of the Legis-
| lature and riding on a free pass. AS | run
| ] looked over my shoulder, and as sure as
| Pm living here came the steer, head down,
| and a mighty short distance away, too. An
| then / saw something | hadn't seen when |
| started to run. Right across the prairie in
| front of me run one of those deep arrOyoS,
| forty feet wide, reckon, and at least fifty
| feet deep. The opposite bank slanted a
| little, but the side / was on went straight
| down. There was no such thing as jump
ing over it or into 1t. The only chance
was to stand an fight. / was running so
| hard l came within an inch of running
| into it, but managed to stop myself right
| on the bank, and turned and took my last
| chance. / was powerful handy with that
| big pistol of mine. l didn't know how il
! would do to kill full-grown steer with, but
| it was kind of hedgehog case, you know
| | had to kill him.
''He wasn't six feetaway when fred, and
| It took him right between the eyes. II
| hadn't jumped out of the way he would have
| Knocked me over tile bank, but | jumped,
| and over he went. and was dead before he
reached the bottom.
81 expected the rest O. the herd to come,
| but they quoted right down. and we got 'em
! back 10 their range without much more
| trouble. Just being quick with the trigger
| was all that saved ME from being buried al
| the bottom Of that arroyo, with several thou.
| sand dead cattle on top o. ME. | tell you an
| infatuated bull is as mean thing to face as
any animal that lives. "-Phiadelpha Item.
The heaviest forest fires in Michigan and
Wisconsin have occurred in 1871. 1881 aud
| 1891