Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-01-05
RIDING A BRONCO.
TenderfOOt Tells of the Ups and
Downs of His Only Attempt.

From the Arizona Graphic
1t was down in Tonic Basin, 1.-The bad
man district of Arizona. had been there
several days when the rancher l was visit
ing invited me to go with him to look at a
mine. The mine was about fifteen miles
distant so We would be obliged to ride and
L wasn't bit backward In telling tbauo
Couldn't ride burro, much less a horse
| oh" they all said, we've got lots Of
gentle ponies. Wen give you one that
couLGn throw a three-year-ofd kid to say
hoihlng OF heavyweight like you
Not liking to appear a coward after this
assurance, | told them all right; So they
went out to drive bunch into the corral
W men they had bunch of about twenty
in the corral l was told to come down and
TAX my pick. I told them to trot out their
giraffe: | would look at him. The first one
i 1hey succeeded in roping was young geld
ing, rather frisky looking and he hopped
around so. lively that L ted them to turn
him loose They caught two or three more.
put objected to each on account of their
being so lively.
Catch old Kit for him." one of them said
Who's old Kit?" I asked.
said.
They had no trouble in roping her, and
as soon as they led her forth decided that
she was the horse of all horses | could ride
Sway-backed. pot-bellied. lean and lank,
she stood with her head down and eyes
hair closed. and didn't look as if she had
enough life to switch fly from her tail
Better ride her, ! thought. and have TO
kick her ribs fifteen miles and back than
to get a young. frisky bronx and get off
again. told them to saddle her up while
| got my grip, containing my kodak When
l came back they were waiting. and every
body on the ranch was there TO see US off,
| as supposed then. Now l know they We're
there only to me off.
Let me hold your camery." one of them
SAID, as l got ready to mount / handed
| him the grip and walked over to "Old Kit"
| l remember now that three of the boys
| were standing by her head but l thought
nothing OF 1t them: surprising they Were
| foot in the stirrup. 1t was one of those
| clear, calm days, such they have only
| in Arizona. On all sides lay the foothills OF
| the Mogol1ons. A number of buzzards were
| circling over the remains of a deer we had
| killed the day before. Around the corral
a few scrub chickens were scratching over
| horsefiy lit on Kits side and tried In vain
| to get a meal. He was just where 1
| thought the spur would dig in well and
| / remember thinking l would have hole
| started for him and his like by the time
We returned. All this time Kit was asleep.
| l stood minute. looking around until the
/ boys got restless. They We're afraid l was
going back. but l was as innocent as Old
| Kit looked.
| We'll, we're waiting" they said. So 1
| took good grip on the horn OF the saddle
/ and started to raise myself, at the same
time throwing my right leg over the saddle
| Things happened so quickly for a time that
/ don't know what did happen first. One
| thing certain. Kit woke up. Grooming as If
/ in fearful pain she SCARED skyward. | Gid
| likewise. not Intentionally. for 1 tried to
| get off but got tangled up in the stirrups.
I When boy studying physics l was taught
| that the force of gravity made all bodies
| descend with equal speed. This does not
/ apply to broncos, but men who write of
| gravity and such things cannot be expect
| ed to know this. Contrary to all laws f
| nature. Kit reached earth first and had
| started back when / was just concluding to
| come down. We met and unfortunately l
| hit the saddle squarely. All this time she
l was groaning awfully and l was really
alarmed. 1t was not my intention to hurt
| her and the performance couldn't stop too
quick for me. Her head disappeared but
| knew it was somewhere beneath me on ac-
| count of the noise. This time we scared
| skyward until the ground was hazy in the
| distance and the boys looked like brownies
and just as we started to descend Kit had
| a chill. L suppose II was caused from the
4 violent exercise making her perspire and
| when We got up among the clouds where it
| was cool she naturally took cold / could
| not keep my head still and soon, lost all
| control Of myself. I had had no control
the earth / could distinguish the voices of
the men and what surprised me was that
| they seemed to be happy about something
They were glad to see me coming back
l was. feeling tired by this time and the
| upper atmosphere had caused me to be
| short of wind, and / guess Kit understood
| for she started TO take me to the house in
hurry. but suddenly. changing her mind
she stopped. l changed my mind too, bu;
not quick enough and went some little dis.
| lance after she stopped
|