The Portland daily press., 1899-04-01
JACKsON's END.

"i vli you, fellows, 'tain't no fun b
swim bunch Of steers when the water h
- cold ~ n Is now"
The speaker was short, thickset COW.
boz. whose fiery red hair had gained fol-
him the sobriquet of Colorado, "the Mex
Ghkssned 10 "Colly" among the punch
e..
Hs"
Colorado BY shis time had finished roll
ing his cag@ette and was waiting for the
cook's pothook, which hs had thrust into
the campfire, TO get redhot to light It,
Having done this and taken few pre-
lhninary puts, he answered: "Yes, 1 hev,
an . mighty tough one 10 was too, =
Tell us about 1t, Colorado, said the
cook. "whar was II, an how did It hap
pen'"
Eyes, oolly, les hear the story, chimed
In the Kid.
"I wss vorkin fer the Diamond outfit
up IN Utah, bout three years ago, an the
old man he come off down here into Ari-
soma an bought bunch Of steers to take
up thar. He had written his wagon boss
70 come down with an outfit big enough
10 handle 1000 head, an we struck the
Little Colorado river bout the mouth OF
the Canyon Diablo wash, where we was TO
receive the herd long in June. We didn' &
have no partickler hap'nin's comm down,
an we got the herd turned over all right
an built Q squeeze shoot an branded em
all before we started back, SO as IL any got
lost the outfit could claim 'em on the
brand, an bout the last of June we push
ed EN- off the bed ground one mornin,
bout daylight, an pulled our freight feI
the home ranch.
"The cattle were all good to handle an
didn't give us no trouble to hold nights,
barrin one or two little stampedes, an we
drifted ON down toward Lees Ferry with.
out any mishaps, 'ceptin one night 1t wec
a-rainin like all possessed, an I wakes ur
. beller named Peck to go on guard. Peck
got up an put on his slicker, walked over
to where his pony was tied an mounted.
We was camped on the banks of a wash
called Cotton Wood creek, an along there
the wash had cut down into the 'dobe flat
some 10 or is feet deep. Peck he's bout
half asleep an gets Off wrong fer the herd
an rides straight up to the edge Of the
creek, thinkin all the time he's a-goin out
on the prairie to the herd. His pony sort
of baked on him an give snort, but Peck,
bein a crossgrained sort of ouss an only
half awake Just bathed him with his quirt
nm jabbed his spurs into him. The pony
give Jump an landed in the middle of
the creek, with six or eight feet of muddy
water runnin in It, Lord, didn't he wake
up sudden like an squan for helpl We
all turned out in a hurry, but he swan
across an, the opposite side bein sort OF
slopinlike, the pony scrambled out. Then
Peck was afeered to GROSS back in the dark
an stayed over thar all night, a-shiverin
an ashakin an a-cursin like crazy man.
When we got up for breakfast that mornin
at O'Clock, it was clear an cold an dark.
The cook he goes down to the creek an
hollers to Peck sort of sarcastic like,
Come to breakfast, Peck, an Peck he
gifts mad an swears at the cocinero pretty
plenty an said ef he didn't go back he d
turn loose on him with his six shooter, an
the cook, bein pretty rollicky hisself, be
goes back to the wagon an pulls his Win
chester an starts fer the creek ag in, when
Jackson stops him an turns him back.
When it come daylight, Peck went down
the creek mile and finds place to cross
whar it want SO deep an so gifts back to
camp jist as we was pullin out.
1.-THE Big Colorado were a powerful
stream when we reached it, bein all swol-
len by the meltin SHOWS up in the noun
tains, an we all kinder hated to tackle it.
The old man told the wagon boss afore he
left 10 ferry the outfit an horses over in
the boat, but to swim the steers.
You know how Lees Ferry is. The riv-
er comes out of box canyon above, an the
sides break away little, an then mile
below it goes into the box ag in, where the
walls is 5000 feet high an the current
runs like a mill race 1t was shore a nasty
place to swim a bunch of steers, an Jack
son, the wagon boss, he knowed we had a
big job on hand when we got there. Jack
son was the best wagon boss / ever see or
worked under. He was tall, slim chap,
could outwork any two men in the outfit,
want afeerd of nothin, an, though he
couldn't read nor write, tell you, boys,
he saveyed cows heap. What he didn t
know bout cows want worth KNOWN,
He didn't let the steers water the day be-
fore, SOS they d be powerful dry an take to
the river easier.
1--WE fust got the chuck wagon over on
the ferryboat which was a big concern,
long enuff to drive four horse team on to,
an which was rowed by six men. The
cook he was mighty skeery bout goin on
to this here boat, cause he said bout a
year afore that he'd been a-punchin cows
tn southern Arisony, an feller there ship
ped lot of cattle up inter Californey to
put ON an island near Los Angeles. They
loaded 'em on to fiat scows with high
railin round 'em, an put bout DO head on
each scow an puncher on it to look feI
'em. Coin over TO the island the tug what
was a-towin 'em by the horn of the sad
die, so to speak, busted the string, an thar
bein quite a wind a-blowin an big ole
waves a-doppin around, the four scows be
gan to butt an bump up ag in one another
like a lot Of muley bulls afghtin, an the
cattle got to runnin back an forth all
a-bellerin an a -bawlin, an them punchers
they shore thought their very last day had
come. The cook he never expected to sec
dry land gin, an he jist vowed If ever he
got back to the prairie that he'd punch no
more COWS on boats.
"Well, bimeby the tug got a new lariat
on to em ag in an corralled EN- all safe
enuff at the wharf, but the cook lowed he
war a dry land terrapin an wouldn't ever
ag'in git into no such scrapo, not ef he
knoWed hisself HoWsumeyer he did get