The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-04-03

powerful dry an take to the river easier
I'VE fust got the chuck-wagon ovel
on the ferryboat, which was big con
Germ, long enuff to drive a four-hosl
team on to, an which was rowed by si2
men. The cook he was mighty skeery
bout goin' on to this here boat, cause
he said bout year afore that he'd beer
a-punching cows in southern Arizony
an teller there shipped lot of cattle
up inter Californey to put on an islant
near Los Angeles. They loaded 'em or
to fiat scows with high railin rounC
'em, an put bout fifty head on each
scow an a puncher on it to look out fe,
'em. Coin over to the island the tue
what was a-towin' EN- by the horn OF
the saddle SO to speak, busted tbs
string an thar bein' quite wind a.
BLOWN, an big ole waves a-1oppin
around the four scows began to butt
an bump up agin one another like a lot
of muley bulls a-fightin', an the cattle
got to runnn' back an forth an abel
lerin' an a-bawlin', an them punchers
they shore thought their last day had
come. The cook he never expected to
see dry land agin, 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 agin an corraled EN- all safe
enuff al the wharf, but the cook lowed
he war dryland terrapin, an wouldn't
ever agin get into no such scrape, not eff
he knowed hisself. HoWsumever, he did
get up huff spunk to tackle the ferry,
an went over safely. After we got the
wagon acrost we went back an started
the cattle down the side canyon what
leads into the crossin.
| "Jackson's ideewas to git the bosses
ahead of the steers an let 'em follow the
bosses. You know bosses swim any
where's, an the cattle will alters foller
EN-. So he puts three men in a little
boat, two to row an one to lead boss,
KNOWN the balance would foler him
right across
THE hoss-wrangler he'd the hossss all
ready, an jist as the leaders of the herd
came down to the waters edge the boys
in the boat pulled out, a-leadin' boss,
an the other bosses follered right in an
was soon a-swimmin'. Then, when they
was all strung out an dom fine, we
crowded the steers into the water after
EN-. They was all powerful dry an
took to the water easy huff, an afore
the leaders knowed it they was a-swim-
min in fine shape. Jackson wouldn't
let us holler or shoot till we got 'em all
inter the water, an then we Jerked our
X-shooters an began to fog 'em an
yell like bunch of Comanches.
You all know thar's only one thing
to be afeerd of in swimmin' lot of cat
tie, and that's when they gets to millin'.
Jackson had swum cattle across the Pc
cos in Texas, an the Yellowstone in
Montana, an saveyed 'xactly what to
do. But this here Colorado at Lees
Ferry is bad place to tackle fer you're
bound to get on the other side afore you
get into the box canyon or your names
Dennis, cause once a Teller gifts into the
canyon he's got to go on clean down a
hundred miles afore he can strike level
place big enutf to crawl out on
Soon as the cattle got well strung
out, Jackson began to undress hisself.
He took off all his clothes but his shirt,
an then he buckled his sx-shooter belt
around him an pulled the saddle off'n
his boss.
Il says, Bill, you amt a-goin' to try
to swim it, are you? an he says. No,
not less | have to; but if they gets to
millin' out thar We'll lose the whole
herd, an the only way to break it up
is to ride out an shoot among 'em an
skeer EN- He knowed it were risky,
for if anything went wrong he was
shore to be carried into the canyon an
4 put So
sort of a wagon-boss to stop at any
thing to save the herd, an sure huff |
bout the time the leaders got fairly into |
the middle of the river, long comes a |
big cottonwood tree a-dtiftn' an whirl- |
in down stream right into 'em. That |
skeert 'em an turned EN-, an fore we |
knowed 1t they was doubled back on the |
balance an swimmin' round an round,
for all the world like driftwood in a big |
eddy in creek. This was what jack
son was afeerd of, an he pushed his /
boss into the river an takes his six
shooter in his hand. He was ridn' lit
tie Pinto pony they called Blue Jay, one
If the best all-round COW ponies / ever
see.
"Old Blue Jay, he jst seemed to saba
long without any fuss. When Jackson
gifts out close to the millin' steers he be-
gin to holler an shoot an he called to
he fellers in the boat to come back an
ry to stop 'em. Now, you all know /
what a risky thing it is to go near
steer a-swimmn' in the water, for he's
sure to try to climb up on you. Jackson
moved this, but he swan Blue Jay
light slap-dab inter the bunch an tried
o sea tier EN- an stop 'em from milln'.
Just how it happened we couldn't
ell; but first thing we seen Jackson was
light in the middle of the milin' crit
ers, an in a minute they had crowded
,oor old Blue Jay under, an all we seen
# jackson was his hands went up, an
hen he was lost in the whirlin' mass of
lorns that was going round an round.
\ man had no chance at all to swim,
cause their hoofs KEEP him under all the
ime, an they was packed 50 close fel-
err couldn't come up between EN-, any
way. The boys in the boat tried to do
omething, but it want no use, fer he
lever come up, an when they got too
lose one big steer throWed his head
yer the side of the boat an purity nigh
pset 'em, so they had to keep away to
ave themselves. But they KEEP up a.
hootin' an a-hollerin' till the leaders
nally struck out for the shore, an in a
ew minutes the whole herd was strung
ut for the opposite side, an sooner than
kin foil If thew was all Standin' on drV |