Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1897-10-16

pound upon harder ground. The
broken country near the bluffs of the
river is at hand. Down into gully and
ravine 20 men and horses and cattle
in the dark, and welter out of it upon
the other side as best they may. Many
an animal goes headlong in the dark,
but it is not noticed or deplored. Each
object makes tiny rock to stem the
food of pouring cattle. But sudden
ly, without warning, the whole front
of the herd plunges down utterly out
of view! 1t has dropped down into
the earth, has been swallowed up bod
| lily! Some of the cowpunchers went
down, too. At the brink of the bluff
the following numbers Of the cattle
pile up and back in a horrid mass,
seeking to crowd back, but yet pushed
on by the herd behind. The remnant
of the herd splits, and turns along the
side of the bluff. The remaining cow
boys fellow, pressing and crowdihg in,
still squirting up to the heads of the
painting cattle and seeking to turn
them. The head of the herd finally
swerves, it turns gradually more and
more. The cowboys are still in front,
shouting, crowding, firing their re-
volvers across the faces of the cattle
and urging them back and away from
the bluffs. The cattle turn now and
traverse a circle. A moment later
and they round the same circle, their
ranks now closer together. The circle
grows smaller and smaller. The mill
is begun. Round and round they go
until they no longer seek to break
away, but stand and clatter and shuttle
and pant. Round and round the mill
the cowboys ride, talking to the cattle
now in proficient profanity, but doing
nothing to startle the terrorized AMI
mails into further fight. Gradually
the panic passes. At length the cow.
puncher takes chew of tobacco, and
pulls up his pony even from the walk
in which he has been going about the
herd.
The men who were at the head of
the herd at the place where it went
over the cut bank had no warning and
no alternative. The ponies leaped
with the cattle, and all took their
chances together at the foot of the
bank, a dozen feet in height. But
here the ground was soft, and it was
but a few steps to the water. In
moment the river was full of struggling,
frantic creatures, all swimming for
their lives, and all acting blindly ex.
cept the cowpunchers, who retained
their grim energy, and had no thought
of giving up their lives. These swan
clear of the crush of cattle, and then
dropped down to a bar below. Scat
tered animals came drifting down
stream, and took the shore as they
had done. Many dead cattle foated
past the bar, and at the foot of the
bank a heap of dead and crippled ones
lay tangled. Not till morning, of
course, could the task of roping and
pulling out the cattle from the water
and from under the banks begin.
These cowpunchers, as we'll as they
were able, rode back to the path OF
the "split," and so found the main
mill, and Joined their companions.
"I shore thought I was an angel
when we took the bank" says Curley,
wiping his face with his wet necker-
chief.
"Where's the Kid?" asked Jim,
grufdy.
"Dunno," is the answer. 81 amt
seen him nowheres near me-"
1t is hard to tell where anyone may
be at this time, past midnight, with
the storm just muttering itself away.
Some of the cattle may be running
yet, and some of the cowboys may be
with them. 1t may be 20 miles away
that the last cowpuncher will pull up.
The cattle will be scattered over miles
and miles of country, and it will take
days to get them together, less the
losses, which are sure to ensue upon
the stampede. Nothing remains to be
done now by those who are assembled
but to hold their remnant of the herd
till morning. And morning finds the
men still holding the herd, their eyes
now heavy and red, their faces hag-
gard, their clothing covered with the
mud of the mad ride in the night. A
detail is made to keep watch here,
while the rest of the men 60 back to
camp to bring on the cook wagon and
pick up the frayed ends of the rout.
As these men ride in they see occasion
al scattered groups of cattle, which
are turned back towards the main
body. No one says much, for all are
tired. As they pass on towards camp,
or rather toward where camp was, a
draggled figure rides up from out a
little gully-one of the boys who has
followed off bunch of cattle by him
self, and so been widely separated
from the others.
"Hello, Cherokee" says Jim.
"Where's the Kid? We can't none of
US find him nowhere"
81 amt seen him NEITHER" says
Cherokee. "There amt nobody at all
been with me-"
But as they ride on along the torn
and trampled trail left by the cattle in
their flight of the night before, they
oil COO the Kid-See him every one of