Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1893-04-22

Cattle Drisins ia No Mans Land Cha.-
Ing Frightened ana tIslf Mad Creature.
for Hour, ia the bark
Fellcrs they ait goiu to run tonight :"
Old Joe, tie speaker. turned 10 his saddle
hnd began 10 sean the horizon As he
caught sight oi cioud no larger than your
band that was iu>g beginning 10 show It
seii away to the northwest. he repeated the
t prophecy and ati5led 'An don't think
/ we'll have any Kick Acunun about the
/ dust termorrcr either
/ The time was in the seventies, the 10
cality No Maus land. aud we were on the
old Dodge trail with go beeyeS, bound
+ for Ogalalla The herd had been put rp
SOME seeks before on lhc Brazos Al Red
/ river crossing we had picked up bunch
4 thai rad been lost o,it " previous drove
+ belonging TO the same company These
steers were placed IN Ouf heri against the
advice OF old Joe They air ole STAN
+ peslers, and they'll spiie the whole herd
+ Let them wait for one of them dugie outfits
behind us
AZ supper that evening bat little was
said. even the cooks yarns. told in his IN
imtablc style. fell HAT Every few minute.
our foreman would east uneasy glances al
the great black clouds that were SLOWLY
rising ~ the northwest Instead Of picket
ing the horses. a~ was he custom the ami
malS were saddsed aud tied to the wagon.
or 10 bushes close hy
The first guard bad hardly more than
taken charge when the rest of the outfit
prepared 10 roll ~ The cook, after tying
lantern TO the tongue. climbed In the
tpf E.4 -. q
the Lord that ne was cook The wrangler
found place nuder the coupling pole that
suited his complexion while the riders un
strapped their little hot roll" on the
ground md piled ~ without removing eyea
boots and spurs
oMfNous sIoNs
For some reason | was restless aud ua
able to sleep All the slumber produing
receipts were tried IA vain ay on my
back and watched the clouds obscure star
after star, until the whole heavens were
hid counted the number 81 rounds the
guards were making and then fell 10
watching the lightning aud trying TO Judge
now far II was OF 10y seeing how many |
could count before | heard the thunder
that followed every flash
After while. growing weary oi this |
turned toward tie fire lSy 1t ,at one OF
the guards slipping strong coffee between
whilfs at his cigarette The rattle of the
chains on his spurs aud bit as his horse
logged along told the whereabouts OF an
other while the Wild spanish song that
hoated from the tar side of the bed ground
Indicated that Little lack, III thought
AT least. was with his black eyed sweet
heart on the distant Rio Grande
closed my eyes for u few minutes. and
when ! looked again the guard hal left
the fire Litte iack song was finished
and the only SauI from the bed ground
was the deep breathing OF some animal
that had Iust lain down The thur der
mad ceased for few minutes and the hoos
OF an owl in the cottonwood made the dark
ness sill darker and the night more dreary
As duzetl oil Old Iucs wor,iS kent ring
Ing in my head There amt no danger es
long es any o' EN- air np an grain, but
when they ar ali down Had it's that quiet
you kin bear your own heart beat, then
yau wantei gii ready tcI rude
was still semi conscious when heard
roar Ike mighty tornado and sprang
up a. some one shouted
They are gone. fellows They are gomez
In less than u minute every man was in
the saddle aud rushing after the fleeing
herd No need To ask which way the
trained night horses know their duty, aud
are straintns every nerve the lighiuing's
play Is grand electricity Is everywhere
flames dance along the name, bal, of fire
CLEANS on each ear tip By the flashes the
riders locate the ily of the land IN front
HEADING TIiEN nAcKl
Soon we begin passing the drags No
need to look after them they'll follow
and the real work Is on ahead Far away
in front, above the roar OF cattle and thund
er, the guards can be heard singing aud
shouting 10 the maddened herd As We
dash on the sounds appear To be coming
more and more from the left. the leaders
are being pressed around, and soon by a
flash we see them coming right in front
OF the craSed animals looking like ghost
III his long white slicker his fiery little
night horse unging aud lighting for his
head, rode Little Jack, singing. calling and
swearing by turns
BY concerted action. IN which good
luck, stout lungs and heavy quirts all play
important parts the herd il thrown To
gether and the milling begins Around
aud around they 20. each animal with its
heat over the rump Of the one Just in front
mo beginning 10 end Just solid mass,
staring. moaning as only stampeled cattle
can Balls of fire leap from horn TO horn
The cowboys are seated on their horses
still as statues, nil forming a picture that
cant tie duplicated The order is passed
along To Give more rOomf the riders fali
back, the mill ceases and soon Is heard
u series OF coughs jess cleariu' their pipes
for another dash some one says
Now the rain begins, first slow, then Ia
creasing, till iinaliy Il is coming ia driving
sheet With the first drops the cattle turn
and begin drifting with the storm, all the
hold them hgek
III we kin only bold em till their hides
get wet ! b'lisye we've got EN-" Old Joe
says
But II wasn't 10 be Something gives
them a scare and away they goi No sooner
are the leaders checked than others turn
leaders, and the whole herd goes thunder
ing after them Another mill Is formed
aud the same performance gone over again
80 the ughi wears away The runs
grow shorter occasionally an animal be
gins 70 eat The rain Is over, though the
clouds still hang heavy The lightning
has ceased ard he riders sit still and mo.
tionlrss. unalle 20 see even the heads OF
the horses iheY ride W alter stands every
where, aud the eItttlr ac4nn grazing In MI
dIrrctions The tbrempu gises orders 10
riae away n on prcseuee would only
serye % str ap aud scatter the herd
Some uusadtlle roll up IN their wex
blankets aud sleep Others hight pipes and
cigarettes and uegin watching for signs Of
the coming morning Win the first gray
streaks in lie est-t horses are saddled aiti
the crew gnthef around tor orders