Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1896-12-03

The coolness of the practiced
cowboy. who feels in daty bound
, 20 appear nnhnrt and without aei.
! | satlon even when he mar he xasast
Tor excitement, is we'll illustrated
% sn incident of rough riding in
idaho. related by frontiersman.
just below Osotin. on the Snake
River. there is a cliff at least fifty
feet high, at the foot of which the
deep water of the river winds it is,
In fact, rather q cape than a mere
s!'f, for the race of the rock forms
sharp, jutting point around which
narrow bridle-path runs.
To Asotin there once came a cow.
boy OF considerable skill named
Billy Critics and to him was
brought wild horse from neigh
boring ranch, which no one could
tame. Billy at once undertook the
task Of riding the animal and stood
oy impassively while his assistants
performed the preparatory task of
throwing, blindfolding and sad.
ding the bronco. When the pirth
had been bound on very tightly, the
animal was allowed to get up, and
Critics mounted into the saddle.
All ready ! he shouted, and the
bandage was removed from the wild
horses eyes.
AT the same instant Billy touch
Cd the horse with his spurs and
the creature intent, as wild horses
under such conditions generally
are, only on getting the rider of
his back, began to buck violently.
This performance wrs repeated for
some time, quite in vain. Critics
was far from being the sort of rider
who could be dislodged hr .h;y
s~~ ~sa:-------------2---- 49, '----a~-r
next performance on the bronco
program. He started of on dead
run, and took the trail down the
Snake. The spectators looked to
see Critics manage to rein him of
this dangerous path, but evidently
from his nnfsmilarity with the
ground, the cowboy did not do so,
but kept straight on.
He'll be killed = several yelled.
mo human being can keep a run
ming horse on the trail around the
point =
This was quite true. All riders
who csme to this point on the trail
dismounted, even when their ami
mails were walking. and led them
around the dangerous place. 1t
was but a sloping path and the
river ran swiftly straight below.
There was sharp bend before
the point was reached, and Billy
and his bronco disappeared from
the spectators view. This added.
to their suspense. The bronco
went straight on to the very edge
Of the precipice, and then paused
of his own accord as If frightened
at the gulf. But the presence of
the awful object on his back over
mastered the horses fear Of the
cliff, and standing on the very edge
of it he began to buck violently.
Billy clung hard. The first leap
of the bronco did what must have
been expected-it carried him and
his rider straight down the preci-
pice and into the current of the
river.
When the spectators, who had
followed on as fast as they could,
reached the place, neither cowboy
nor bronco was seen. The trail of
the animals was plain to the place
where he bad gone of the rock. It
was quite apparent what had hap
pened.
By circuitous route the men
went down to the river shore, and
followed along to see il they could
find Billy's body. There was q
deep gorge below with a bit Of
shore, and there the people found
Billy Critics, not dead, but stand
ing on the shore apparently
anhurt, unexcited, very vet
and engaged an attempt TO fish
out with pole 9 drowned horse in
the stream, in order to recover his
saddle and bride.
When the horse went over the
precipice the cowboy kept his
seat, but left it as soon % the ami
mails body had broken his fall. The
bronco was killed instantly, but
i -