The true Democrat. [volume] (Bayou Sara [La.]) 1892-1928, 1898-09-10

feel the 5O-pound drag of the bump
ing saddle. Yet it frightened the rope
about Ioin and tanks, and by making
it harder for him to breathe so lessened
his speed that Jim easily kept him in
sight. Through yielding brush and
swaying thicket, through punches of
frightened cattle that split to let him
pass and came stringing after, bucking
and bawling in sympathy, the brute
plunged on.
Each bawling bunch in turn was
distanced. The brushy slopes broke
away. As the mesa, sprinkled with
pinons, began to offer to Jim smooth
spaces for handling his horse, he I'M
buckled the strap that held the coil OF
his rope, but still, as every leap of
the steer took him the nearer to the
corral, the wise Indian only held the
rawhide ringed ready in his hand.
Down the rapidly narrowing tongue
of the mesa-the mesa which tipped
precipitously out into the river-gorge
and was bounded on either side by an
abyss-the trapped steer sped. He
must soon be at standstill or at
tempt to return on his tracks.
The Indians eyes had already kim
died with anticipation of triumph, when
at the last of the pinons the humping,
HURTING saddle caught fast between
projecting roots. 1t scarcely checked
the steer! Holden's cable tore loose
from the saddle horn, and its slack
ened loop was speedily kicked from
the steers high-plunging launches.
Once more the great gray brute was
free.
"Ah, he on the push now!' said
jim and looked to his loop as the steer
reversed his big body, gave high,
writhing leap over the spurned rope,
confronted the herder with the threat
ening crescent of his sharp horns and
plunged forward to the combat.
The Navajo lifted his horse aside
with the spurs, swung the loop open
in his right hand and rose, half turned
in the stirrups, in quick underthrow
for the front hoofs of the steer as he
lunged by.
Jim's eyes saw, for an instant, low
cred horns and uplifted hoofs mingled
together, and his throw was true. But
SO quick was the play of the ponder
GUS feet that the loop caught one fore
leg only and passed over the face and
hung across the horns.
The loop, drawn tight by the roper's
instantaneous jerk and kept from slack
ening by his nimble horse, bound horn
and hoof together. Now the steer
was in sad plight. With head drawn
sidewise, with tongue lolling from
open jaws, believing, he surged Oh
three legs, but his spirit was I'M
broken.
The roper slowed his horse to the
strain. From horn to cantle the sad
die creaked as, trampling and tuggine
in wild, wide waltz, straining horse
and hauling steer made the mad cir
cult of the precipices.
The Navajo, active in the saddle
with rein, spur and rope, was, in spite
of all his efforts, dragged past the
break where the trail ran down the
slope. His horse, always strainine
desperately, was tugged on and OF
until he circled along the perilou'
porphyry brink, and JiW glanced
longingly from the saddle on the cor
raj, seemingly almost directly beneath
him, its great square shrunk to til,
measure Of his saddle blanket
Holden, pounding down bareback OF
the blue roam, had stopped to gathe
up his rope, but now Jim heard hi
encouraging shont. The quickenet
tramp of his rushing horse, the whirr
ing of his big rope as he swung
aloft, sounded close at hand, and TIL
sweating roper relaxed his strain.
The steer, alert to the slack, ierke'
his hoof from the loop. Needless O
the cutting rope, instantly tightene'
across face and frontlet, his statel
head was lifted, apd he stood, wild
eyed, quivering, cornered, caught bu
not conquered. He was on four leg
again. Conquered? Never Wit
resistless pull on the rope, he wheeled
and broke for escape across the eli
that rises, red-banded, above the COZ
raj.
"Stay with him, Jimp' roared til
young foreman, swinging his rope
sure the steer would stop at the edge
Stay with him? It meant deaf
surely. Already under the plungin
front hoofs of the desperate rebel tn
porphyry rim crumbled. Jim's obed
ence did not falter, although he wa
fairly staring down on the CORA
How would the falling feel?
The Indian had swift picture of
the steer lowest in the air on tn
taut lariat, horse and man whirlin
after-but Navajo Jim set his savag
jaws. No foreman should dare hil
to stay with roped beast! He woul
not look on the faces of white roper