Griggs courier. (Cooperstown, Griggs Co., Dak. [N.D.]) 1885-1902, 1899-03-23

stream when we reached it, bein' all
swollen by the melting SHOWS up in
the mountains, an we all kinder hated
to tackle it. The old man told the wag-
on-boss afore he left to ferry the out
fit an horses over in q boat, but to
swim the steers.
"You know how Lees Ferry is; the
river comes out of box canyon above
an the sides break away little an
then a mile below it goes into the box
agin, where the walls is 5000 feet high
an the torrent runs like millrace. It
was shore a nasty place to swim a
bunch of steers, an jackson, the wag-
on-boss, he knowed he had big job on
hand when he got there. jackson was
the best wagon-boss I ever see er
worked under. He was tall, slim
chap, could outwork any two men in
the outfit, wasn't afeerd of nothin' an ,
though he couldn't read or write, tell
you, boys, he saveyed cows a heap.
What he didn't know bout cows want
worth KNOWN. He didn't let the steers
water the day before SOS they'd be
powerful dry an take to the river
easier.
eve fust got the chuck-wagon over on
the ferry-boat, which was big con-
Germ, long enuff to drive a four-hoss
team onto an which was rowed by six
men. The cook he was mighty skeery
bout goin' onto this here boat, cause
he said bout year afore that he'd
been a-punching cows in southern Ari-
zony an q Teller there shipped lot
of cattle up inter Californey to put
on an island near Los Angeles. They
loaded 'em onto fat scows with high
railin' round 'em, an put bout 50 head
on each scow an a puncher on it to look
out fer 'em. Coin over to the island
the tug what was a-towin' 'em by the
horn of the saddle, so to speak, busted
the string, an, thar bein' quite a wind
a-blowin', an big ole waves a-floppin'
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 runnin' back an 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 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 new lar
lat onto EN- agin an corraled 'em all
safe enuff at the wharf, but the cook
lowed he war dry-land terrapin an
wouldn't ever get into no such scrape
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 can
yon what leads into the crossin'.
"Jackson's idee was to git the bosses
ahead of the steers an let 'em follow
the bosses. You know HOSES swim any,
where's, an the cattle will alters foller
'em. So he puts three men in little
boat, two to row an one to lead boss,
KNOWN the balance would foller him
right across.
''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-leadin' a
boss, an the other bosses follered in
an was soon a-swimmin'. Then, when
they was all strung out an dom fine,
we crowded the steers into the water
after 'em. They was all powerful dry
an took to the water easy 'nuff, an
afore the leaders knowed it they was
a-swimmin' in fine shape. jackson
wouldn't let us holler or shoot till we
got 'em all inter the water, an then
we jerked our sixshooters an began to
fog 'em an yell like bunch Of Co.
manches.
"You all know thar's only one thing
to be afeerd of in swimmin' lot Of
cattle, and that's when they gets to
millin'. Jackson had swum cattle across
the Pecos 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 out 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 about hundred miles
afore he can strike level place big
enuff to crawl out on.
"Soon as the cattle got we'll strung
out, Jackson began to undress 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.
81 says: Bill, you amt a-goin' to try
to swim it, are your 'No, not less I
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
and shoot among 'em an slkeer EN-
He knowed it were risky, for if any
thing went wrong he was shore to be
carried into the canyon an drowned.
But Bill jackson want the sort of a
wagon boss to stop at anything to save
] the herd. an sure 'nuR. bout the time