Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1898-08-25
THE GRAY STEER.

the side canons.
Quickening their horses, they pres
emily rode into the green gloom of the
gulch, where the quaking-aspens
trembled over hidden springs. Here
mighty footprints dinted deep the
mud and the sodden trails.
''Dere his track, fresh," said Jim,
STOPPING from his saddle over Print
like post-hole. ''He lie close, some
where
"We'll put him up" said Holden,
confidently: "and once he shows, stay
with him, jim"
"You bet l stay!' said Jim, simply.
They threaded the winding thicket
on separate trails and met near its
head without sight of the gray steer.
It's no use looking for him
down in here" said Holden. ''He's
gone up higher. Let's try in the
spruce below the rimrock."
He led the way upward along the
steep, brushy side of the gulch until,
stopped by the rim-rock, they sat il
their saddles and looked down and
back in disappointment.
Below them the gulch enclosed the
fastness of the deer, space darkened
to twilight by growth of young
spruce and aspen saplings.
Maybe he down in those" said
jim, with drop alike of voice and
hand. Hide hisself in daytime like
| black tail buck"
"But we can't get into that pocket
on horses" Holden replied loudly, in
vexation. 'Wait! I'll try for himn'
AS he spoke he dismounted to act
on boyish inspiration.
He had noticed big block fallen
from the rim-rock and lying tilted up
on the slope. With mighty heaving
he overturned it, and down the slope
it crashed in smashing leaps through
the brush and swaying timber to the
very heart of the1spruce thicket.
Shorts came up from below; Holden
marked the course of startled, hurry
ing creatures by the lines of swaying
tops furrowing the still, green sur
face, and three grand bucks sprang
out, their horns showing brown in the
velvet as they topped the lower brush
but bearer of mightier horns was
breaking through the plant young
trees, and glimpse of a grizzly hide
was exultantly caught by the young
| foreman.
"Ah, he show mp now" shouted
Navajo jim, erect in the stirrups, as
the great steer came ont below.
Bred from the finest of the Lazy j
stock, he would have weighed near
1000 pounds; but such speed and bot
tom were his ''rustling" on that rough
range that the big body rose over the
brush with the wild grace of buck,
and with deerlike ease his frontlet,
black and threatening, was thrown
back over his grizzly shoulder as he
stopped and eyed his hunters for an
instant. One defiant shake of his per-
feet horns, then he raced onward, and
only bending brush marked his path.
Holden was already galloping after
him. smashing the underground in a
straight course down the slope to in
tercept him below, shouting as he ran.
Jim, with Indian circumspection, ran
his horse in an easier descent along
the slope, keeping his eyes on the
swaying brush beneath and waiting
for an opportunity of closing in more
open ground.
Now Holden's horse, the blue out
law, showed once more his spirit and
brought Holden close behind the
game. Navajo Jim emerged from the
thicket to see the young foreman in
full career, swinging his big rope,
vi, 10 tb. boItara1 baol of tho borca
and the huge-horned frontlet of the
steer reached ont in an even race
across the little open space beyond.
The loop of Holden's cable lit fairly
over the widespread horns; but his
hand was hardly quick enough in
closing it. While it hung slack the
steer leaped with both front legs
through it, and then Holden's tardy
jerk brought it tight around the grizzly
hanks.
The beast beloved as the plunge
of hi2 great gray body drew the turn
of the rope swiftly from the saddle
horn. Vainly Holden tried to stay it..
Recklessly he threw the slack end in
hitch around the steel horn and
clapping his hand over it braced his
horse for the shock.
With forelegs outplanted and quar-
ters lowered, the stubborn blue out
law stanchly set himself to the tight
ening rope. For an instant he was
ierked along, stiff-legged, then over
they went. dragged down, fierce horse
and reckless roper.
Clearing his legs, hanging at the
side of his struggling horse, Holden
still held the saddle horn with power
full grasp. Another bawl, plunge
that no cinches could withstand-and,
10, the saddle was stripped from the
outlaw and jerked high and far from
Holden's hand!
Navajo Jim checked his horse, but
"Onl' roared the young foreman. and