The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1900-09-06

string, and there beln' quite wind a.
BLOWN, an big ole waves a-foppin'
around, the four scows began to butt
an bump up agin one another like lot
of muley bulls a-fghtin', an the cattle
got to runnin' back an forth an beller-
in 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 on 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 'em
all safe enuff at the wharf, but the
cook lowed he war dryland terrapin,
an wouldn't ever ag'n get into no such
Scrape, not if he knowed hisself. How
sumever, 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 canon what leads into the eros
sin.
'Jackson's idee was to git the bosses
ahead of the steers an let 'em follow
the bosses. You know bosses swim
anywheres, an the cattle will alters fol
ler 'em. So he puts three men in lit
tie boat, two to row, an one to lead a
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 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 'em. They was all pow
erful dry an took to the water easy
huff, an afore the leaders knowed it
they was a-swimmin' in fine shape.
Jackson wouldn't let us holler OF shoot
until We got 'em all inter the water, an
then we jerked our six-shooters an be-
gan to fog 'em an yell like bunch of
Comanches.
You all know thar's only one thing
cattle, an that's when they gets to
across the Peccs in Texas, an the Vel
lowstone in Montana. an saveyed
'xactly what to do. But this herd Col
oaado at Lees Ferry is a bad place to
tackle, fer you're bound to get on the
other side afore you get into the box
canon, or your names Dennis, cause
once a Teller gifts into the canon 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 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
his boss.
81 says, Bill, you amt a-goin' to try
to swim it, are yon:' 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
sheer EN- He knowed it were risky,
for if anything went wrong he was
shore to be carried into the canon an
drowned. But Bill Jackson Want the
sort Of wagon boss to stop at anything
to save the herd, an sure huff. bout
the time the leaders got fairly into the
middle of the river, long comes big
cottonwood tree a-driftin' an a-whirl-
I'M down the stream right into 'em.
That skeert EN- an turned EN-, an fore
we knoWed it they was doubled back on
the balance an sWimmin round an
round, for all the world like driftwood
III a big eddy III creek. This was what
Jackson was afeerd Of an lie pushed
his boss into the river an takes his six
shooter in his hand He was ridin a
little Pinto pony they called Blue Jay.
one OF the best all-rouud COW ponies |
ever see.
''Old Blue Jay he jist seem to sabe
what was wanted of him, an swan
long without amy fuss. When Jackson
gifts out close to the mii1in' steers lie
begin to holler en- shoot, an he called
to the fellers III the boat to come back
an try to stop EN-. Now, youall know
what risky thing it is to 60 near a
steer a-sWlmmln, III the water. for he's
sure to climb up on you. Jackson know
ed tins, but he swan Blue Jay right
slap-dab inter the bunch an tried to
scatter EN- an stop en- from millin.
Just how it happened we couldn't
tell: but inst thing we seen Jackson
was right Ill the middle of the millin'
critters, an IN minute they had crowd
ed poor Old Blue Jay under. an all we
seen of jackson was his hands went up,
an then he was lost i'll the whirlin''
mass of horns that was goin' round an
round. Y man had no chance at all to
swim, cause their hoofs KEEP him under
all the time, an they We're packed so
close Teller couldn't come up between
EN-, anyway. The boys in the boat
tried to do something, but t 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 'em SO they had to
keep away to save their selves. But
they KEEP up shootin' an hollerin'
till the leaders finally struck out for the
shore. an in few minutes the whole
herd was strung out for the opposite
side, an sooner than | kin tell it they
was all standin on dry land, an not a
single one miSSin.'
Meantime, the boys in the boat had
watched everywhere for poor Jackson's
body. but they never got sight of it,
though they went clear into the mouth
OF the canon. There was lots of big
trees an drift a-runnin, an we guessed
his body had been caught in the
branches of fioatin' tree an carried
down with it. Pore old Blue Jay came
floating past 'em, an they tried to
catch him. but the curreI was so swift
they couldn't do it. All they wanted
was to get Jackson's silver-mounted
bride otfi'n him, cause twas easy huff
to see that the pony was quite dead.
well, the rest of us crossed in the
big ferryboat an rounded up the steers,
which was grain up the canon on the
other side, an moved 'em out couple
of miles to camp Shorty bein' the old