The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-05-28

| look 80 lsr - o. 49, - ~ ia1ana
horn q - aaddIA - 70 spsak. husssd
tbs stFiag. ~ thar bsanf su1ts wind =.
| bsowfn', an' ~ 80 wavss a-dopudn
ar0und. the four seOWs begAn % bat. an
+! hump % aozn one aacshsr Hire . lot OF
| muIey bul1s a-0gA&in', an tn caks3e got
| % rmniH neck m forth an s-bsllerin'
an s-hawifn'. an them puncheTA they
shore fhcughf their iast day had come.
| The cook he never expected 10 see d.y
| land a9in. an he Jist vowed X ever be got
| back 70 the prairie thA& he'd punch no
l more COWS On boats.
| Wen. hlmeoy the tug eoe . new laR4at
| onto EN- A4fn an cofrnlied 'em 4ii SAFE
| enuR n the wharf, but tie cook lowed he
| war dryiand terrapin an wouldn't ever
/! knowed hissef. H0wsumovef, he aid get
| up nun spunk 20 tackle the ferry. an
went over safely. After we got the was-
| on acrost, ne went hack an started the
| cattle down the side canyon what leads
into the crosstn'.
"Jackson's fdee was 20 g4t tbs hosses
ahead o< the steers an let .em follow the
hosea You know hosses swim anywhere
an the cattle win alters folier en- 10 hs
puts three men Ia = little boat, two 10 row
an one 10 lead . hoes. KNOWN the balance
would follow him right across.
The hose-wran9ier he'd the hosses al
ready. an fist n the leaders of the herd
came down 10 the waters edge the boys
in the boat pulled out, A~leadfn' q boss, an
the other hosses follsrcd right In an was
soon a-ywfmmin'. Then. when they Was
ali strung OUT an dom nne. We crowded
the steers into the water af.er 'em. They
was oil powerful dry an took to the water
easy nun. an axore the leaders knowed II
they was a-svtmmin' In fane shape. Jack
son wouldn't let us hoiier ~ shoot Till We
got 'em all inter the water. an then We
1erked our six-shooters an began to fog
EN- an yell like 4 bunch Of Comanches.
.'You all know thar's only one thing to
be akeerd Of In swtmmin' q lor OF cattle,
an that's when they gets . millin'- Jack
son had swum cAttlB across the Pecos In
Texas, an the Yellowstone IN Montana.
an saveyed 'xactly what TO do. But this
here Colorado at Lees ferry In . bad
place TO tackle. fer you're bound to get
on the other side afore you Get into tho
box canyon. or your names Dennis, cause
once Teller gifts into the canyon he's got
to 70 clean down q hundred miles afore
he can strike q level place big enu6 to
crawl out on
Soon AZ the cattle got we'll strung out
Jackson began TO undress htsself He took
on all his clothes but his shirt. an then
b. buckled his stx-shooter belt around him
II says. Bill. you Amt a-going to try
10 swim II. are you? an he says No. not
less have to; but II they get TO millin'
out that well lose the whole herd an the
only way to break Il up 10 to ride out an
shoot among 'em an skeer EN- He
knowed II were risky. for n anything went
wrong he was shore to bo carried into tho
canyon an drowned. But Bill Jackson
want the sort Of = wagon boss TO stop at
anything to save the herd, an cure nun.
bout the time the leaders got fairly into
the Middle Of the river, long comes q big
cottonwood tree q driftin' an whirlin'
down stream right into EN- Tha: skeered
'em an turned EN- an aiors we knowei
II they was doubled back on the balance
an swimmin' round and round. for all the
world like drtftwood In \ big eddy In o
creek. This was what Jackson was afecrd
Of. an he pushed his boss into the river
an takes his six-shooter In mis- hand. He
was ridin' . little pinto pony they called
/ Blue Jay, ono a the best All-round COW
ponies ever see.
"Old Blue Jay. he fist seemed to sase
what was wanted Of him. an swan long
without any fuss When Jackson gifts ont
close to the miilin' steers he bsgcr to hoi-
Ter an shoot. an he called to the fellers
In the boat to come back an try to stop
'em. Now. you all know what q risky
thing Il is TO 60 near q steer - swimmin'
In tho water. for he's sure to try to climb
up on you jackson knowed this. but he
swan Blue Jay slan-dab inter the bunch.
an tried TO scatter EN- an stop 'em from
mlliin'.
'.Just how Il happened W couldn't tell.
but nrst thing We seen Jackson was right
In the middle Of the millin' critters. an In
. minute they had crowded poor old Blue
Jay under, an AL Ne seen OF Jackson was
his hands went up. an then he was lost
In the whiriin' mass Of horns that was
goin' round and round. A man had no
chance 1t all to swim, cause their hoofa
kep' him under all the time. an they was
packed % close q feilsr couldn't come up
between EN- any way The boys In the
boat tried to do something. but Z WANT
no use. fer he never come up. an when
they got too close one big steer throwed
his head over the side OF the boat an purity
nigh upset 'sn,, 30 they had to keep away
to save themselves. But they KEEP Up n
shoosin' an a-hollerin' 'tili the leaders
finally struck out for the shore. an In q
few minutes the whole herd was strung
out for the opposite side. an sooner than
l kin tell II they was ali standin' on dry
land. an not single ono missin'.
Meantime, the boys In the boat had
watched everywhere for pore Jackson's
body. but they never got sight Of II.
though they went clean into tho mouth Of
the box canyon. They was lots OF blk
trees an drift a.runnin', an we guessed
his body had been caught In the branches
Of foasin tree an carried down with II.
Pore old Blue Jay came noatin past EN-
an they tried 10 catch him but the cur
rent was no swift they couldn't do II. All
they wanted was 30 get Jackson's silver
mounted bride ofF'n him, cause twas
easy nun To see that the pony was quite
dead
We'll, the rest OF us crossed IN the big
ferryboas. an rounded up the steers.
which was grain uo the canyon on the
other side, an moved 'em cut a couple Of
miles 10 camp. Shorty. helm the eldest
hand in the outfit, took charge. an sent
two OF Us back 20 the ferry. 20 try an see
ef Jaekson's body could be found but the
fesler what runs the ferry said Z want
no use looksn' fer him, cause the swirl
current would carry him miles ard miles
L 49,. 4 - L.