The Coalville times. [volume] (Coalville, Utah) 1894-1923, 1894-12-07
HIS RIDE FOR LIFE.
EXPERIENCE OF A FooLHARDY
YOUNG MAN.
The vsntnreaome Youth Having Nothing
Hetier to DO Jumped on a steer. Back
what Followed had Not Beeu la
ken Into Ills Calculations


never forgotten II. ! know A sea Of
tossing horns, Of bodies grown reck.
less Of whatever fate might overcome
them. needless Of pain. Wild believing
all the more threatening ana the more
terrifying because Il never rises he
yond u certain low. moaning pitch.
And II Is singular how slight cause
can send these creatures ordinarily
docile and phlegmaiic enough. raving
mad 10 their death.
had only lately gone 10 Texas from
the East and my knowledge Of the
possibilities oi the plains was not rs
extensive ~ Il Is now. was the
guest of former schoolmate Of mine,
who owned large ranch In the vicln-
It's Of Fort McKayett. which was In
those days a great market for Texas
cattle To b. shipped TO st. Louis. I
had ridden about with Gale for cou-
pie Of days and had begun TO fancy
that ! was "A pretty good plainsman,
wnen one Aweltoring hot day ! was
lying dressed loosely In an upper room
" the ranch house and idly looking
out OF the window,
Although this was, ~ I have said.
the upper aoor, a. the houses are built
In that lf.MeXican region. was In
reality only about ten feet from the
ground. says n writer In the Philadcl-
phia Times. About the yard below
was walking young steer that had
been sick and had been driven into the
enclosure TO keep the rest Of the herd
from worrying him while he was being
treated.
Directly he passed under my win
dow and very foollshly conceived the
idea that II would bc capital fun TO
surprise him by suddenly dropping
down upon my gcntlcman's back. II
was ~ mad caprice ~ ever entered
an lmbccile's head. but came Of sheer
idlcncss that cannot be- understood by
onc who has mover known the dull
level Of plain life. 10y one who has
only to step outside hls door 10 lind
diversion.
Re that a. H. may. got mp and. let.
ting myself down by my hands. let my
solf drop down ON the beasts back
| Just ~ he came under the window.
lie gave shrill cry oi terror and
Hung hlL.sclf frantically across the
yard, running into the fence with n
force that nearly scrapcd me from my
seat. yelled In terror, for certain
~ thought the steer was about 10 Kill
mo. and had not chance arranged II "a
that at that moment the big gate Of
the yard was TO be- opened 10y ranch
man would no doubt have met my
death then and there.
As II was. no sooner did the ANNA
see the gT.~ swing back than he made
plunge Nor Il. and ran through 4
without giving the man time to gc
out OF the way, but upsetting him
horse and all. Away we went. bear
ing directly toward large herd o
cattle that had been rounded up tina
day TO be- branded before being sen
TO ST, Louis. Into this herd my stoe,
ran full tilt, and collldlng with IN,
nearest. sent that one whlrling further
into the ranks, and the terror OF hi
appearance spreading like "a FAINT
among them, the next second the Who'll,
herd was In motion.
The earth shook under the beat o
the maddened feet, the believing o
thousand Threats made the SCUM,
menace TO all that stood In the way
| saw nothing Of land or sky ~
lay on that wildly plunging steed o
mine. | could not even look benin,
me 10 see how many followed In GU
wake, and that big blunt head in iron
Of me kept mo from seeing whore VI
were going, was getting desperate
~ weary. My arms felt rs II the,
would snap with the tension OF IA,
muscles. aud my head was dizzy will
the rush Of foul mir past my nOstrils
] still hung ON with the courage AN,
strength of desperation. Tor | kney
that 10 drop was 10 leave only mas
OF beaten flesh and broken bone
crushed out Of semblancc Of anything
human.
On and ON we went until gre,
Unconscious OF the flight OF time.
seemed myself creature of the wind
Then there was u -icl,oning icelin
/ NAANA wv WI 80 AANA hANfN away NilNf
me, and the steer rolled down pro
ciplcc Of twenty iect or more.
clutchcd all the tighter In sort d
frenzy, and In another moment IN
poor beast had struggled to his fee
and had ossaycd 10 20 On,
II was only step or two when
felt him fall once more, and shO
over his head down rayine thirt
feet on more In depth. gathere
myself up and blindly rushed forward
then stumbled aud rolled still mrthe
down. when caught at some hard
growing plant and crawled up IN
other side OF the raync. Here natur
gave way and lost consciousness,
Whom ! came 10 the sun was crmso
In the west; few red rays crept I
, whore lay aud told me that the da
was dying fast looked about m
and saw that ! had climbed few f.,
up the side OF the rayine, which belo
me was full OF dead cattle.
! When | had gotten n little strongt
! crawlcd back over those and cam
to tho first dip In the preciplco, IA
preclpice II had heon, for now Il va
, literally piled high with dead and d,
ing cattle. II was over this that NJ