The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1899-03-31
nm J,JIS acknowledgement
JACKSON;S END.
BEL AK MI. MARCH 81. 1899.

as cold as 1t Is now.
The speaker was a short, thicksct cow
boy, whose fiery rcd hair had gained for
him the sobriquet of Colorado, " the Mex
lean name for red, which was frequently
shortened to "Colly" among the punch
ers''
"J'cver have any 'sperience at it, Col
ly?"
Colorado by this time had finished roll
ing his cigarette and was waiting for the
cooks pothook, which he had thrust into
the campfire, to get redhot to light it.
Having done this and taken n few pre-
liminary puffs, he answered: Eyes, l hev,
an mighty tough one it was too"
''Tell us about it, Colorado" said the
cook. "Whar was it, an how did 1t hap
penn"
"Ycs, Colly, les hear the story" chimed
In the Kid.
81 was workin fer the Diamond outfit
up in Utah, bout three years ago, an the
old man he come off down here into Ari-
IONA an bought bunch of steers to take
up thar. He had written his wagon boss
to come down with an outfit big enough
to handle 1000 head, an we struck the
Little Colorado river bout the mouth Of
the Canyon Diablo wash, where we was to
TcCtlNc luC ncTu lOllS III ullc we uluil Y
have no partickler hap min S comm down,
an We got the herd turned over all right
an built squeeze shoot an branded 'em
all before we started back, so as if any got
lost the outfit could claim 'em on the
brand, an bout the last of June we push
ed 'cm off the bed ground one mornin,
| bout daylight, an pulled our freight fer
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
driftcd on down toward Lees Ferry with
out any mishaps, 'ceptin one night it were
a-rainin like all possessed, an l wakes up
Teller named Peck to go on guard. Peck
got up all put on his slicker, walked over
to where his pony WAS tied an mounted
We was campcd on the banks of wash
called Gotten Wood creek, an along there
the wash had cut down into the 'dobe flat
Some 10 or Is feet deep. Peck he's bout
Ealf asleep m gots off wrong fer the herd
mn rides straight up to ths edge or the
creek, thinkin all the time he's a-Soin out
on the prairie to the herd. His pony sort
of baked ON him an give snort, but Peck,
| bein crossgrained sort of cuss an only
| half awake just bathcd him with his quirt
an jabbed his spurs into him. The pony
give Jump an landed in the middle OF
tho creek, with six or eight feet of muddy
water runnin In 1t. Lord, didn't he wake
up sudden like an squall for help! We
all turned out in a hurry, but he swan
across an, the opposite side bcin sort OF
| slopinlikc, the pony scrambled out. Then
Peck was Altered to cross back in the dark
an stayed over thar all night, a-shiverin
an a-shakin an a-curSin like n 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 cf he didn't go back he'd
turn loose Oh him with his six shooter, an
| the cook, bcin pretty rollicky hissclf, he
| 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 n mile and finds a place to cross
whar it wa MT so deep an so gifts back to
camp jist as we was pullin out
"Thc Big Colorado were powerful
stream when we reached it, bcin 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 aforc lie
| left to 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 a boy canyon above, an the
| sides break away little, an then milo
| below it goes into tho box ag in, where the
walls IL 5000 feet high an the current
runs like mill race. 1t was shore Il nasty
| place to swim q bunch of steers, an Jack
| SON. the wagon boss, he knoWGd we had q
| big job ON hand when we got there. Jack
son was the best wagon boss l ever see or
worked under. He was Il tall, slim chap,
| could outwork any two men in the outfit,
want afeerd of nothin, an, though he
| couldn't read nor write l tell you, boys,
| he suyeyed cows IL heap. What he didn't
know bout cows want worth KNOWN.
| He didn't let this steers water the day be-
fore, SOS they'd be powerful dry m take to
| the river easier.
I'VE fust got tho chuck wagon over on
| the fcrryboat, which was big concern,
| long enuff to drive II four horse team on to,
an which was rowcd by six men. Tho
cook he was mighty skeery bout goin on
to this here boat, cause he said bout u
year afore that he'd been a-punchin cows
| in southern Arizony, an Teller there ship
ped IL lot of cattle up inter C&liforncy to
| put on an island near Los Angeles. They
loaded 'em ON to fiat scows with high
railin round 'em, an put bout so head on
| each scow an punchcr on it to look fer
| 'em. Coin over to the island the tug what
was a-towin 'cm by the horn of the sad
| die, so to speak, busted the string, an thar
bein quito wind a-blowin an big Ole
waves a-foppin around, the four scows he-
gan to butt an bump upag' in ono another
l. 80 hull ftf,bt bn
| cattle got to runnin back IN forth an
| a-bellerin an a-bawlin, an them punchers,
| they shore thought their very last day had
come The cook he never expected to see
dry land ag'in, an he jist vowed if ever he
| got back to the prairie that he'd punch no
| more COWS on boats.
swell, bimeby the tug got n new lariat
on TO 'em ag'in an corrallcd 'em all safe
enuff at tho wharf but the cook lowed he
war dry land terrapin an wouldn't ever
ag'in git into no such scrape, not ef he
knowed hisself. Howsumeycr, he did get
up huff spunk to TICKLE the ferry an wcnt
over safely. After we got the wagon
acrost we went back an started the cattle
down the side canyon what leads into the
crossin.
"Jacksons idee was to get the bosses
ahead of the steers an let 'em follow the
bosses. You know bosses swim any
where's, an the cattle will alters folier 'em.
So he puts three men in Il little boat, two
to row an one to lead boss, KNOWN the
balance would foller him right acrost.
"The boss wrangler he'd the bosses all
ready, an jist as the leaders of the herd
come down to the waters edge the boys
in the boat pulled out, a-leadip q boss, an
the other bosses follered right in an was
soon a-swimmin. Then, when they was
all strung out an doin fine we crowded
the steers into the water after 'em. They
was all powerful dry an took to the water
easy huff, an afore the leaders knowed IL
they was a-swim1nin in fine shape Jack
son wouldn't let US holler or shoot till we
got 'em all inter the water, an then we
ierked our six shooters an began to fog
'em an yell like bunch of Comanches.
"You all know thar's only one thing t9
be afeerd of in swimmin a lot of cattle, an
that's when they gets to millin. Jackson
had swum cattle acrost the Pecos in Texas
an the Yellowstone in Montana an savoy
ed Exactly what to do. But this here Colo
RADIO at Lees Ferry is a bad place to
tackle, fer you re bound to get out on the
other side afore you get into the box can
yon, or your names Dennis, cause once
Teller gets into the canyon he's got to go
on clean down about 100 miles afore he
can strike a level place big enuff to crawl
out on.
"Soon as the cattle got well strung out
Jackson began to undrcss hisself. He took
off all his clothes but his shirt, an then he
buckled his six 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 your an he says, NO, not
less l have to; but if they gets to millin
out thar we'll lose the whole herd an tho
only way to break it up is to ride out an
shoot among 'em an skeer 'em.' He know
ed it were risky, fer if anything went