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

ed for him the sobriquet of Colorado"
the Mexican name for red, which was
frequently shorten to s'Colly" among
the 'punchers."
Colorado, who was carefully rolling
cigarette, glanced around the circle of
listeners, as if challenging some one to
contradict him. The balance of the
boys evidently agreed with him, for no
one said word except the kid" and
he, after taking his pipe from his lips
and carefully knocking out the ashes on
the heel of his boot, said:
lever have any 'sperience at it,
Colorado by this time had finished
rolling his cigarette, and was waiting
for the cooks pot-hook, which he had
thrust into the camp fire to get red hot
to light it. Having done this, and tax
ing a few preliminary puffs, he an
Swered
Yes, l hev', and a mighty tough one
1t was, too"
Tell us about it, Colorado" said the
cook. ''Whar was it, an how did it
happen:'
Yes, Colly, let's hear the story"
chimed i'll the Kid
1t was Just the time for story. We
had come down to the railroad with a
bunch of ''hash- knife" steers, and
found the Little Colorado River, which
ran between us and the railroad, swollen
to mighty torrent by the rains in the
mountains. We had waited four days
Tor II to go down, but 1t seemed rather
to rise a little each day. AS the feed
was poor and we had lots of work to
do. the boss was in hurry to get them
shipped and off his hands, and so had
Just announced that at daylight the
next morning he meant to swim the
herd across 1t was late in November
and the weatherwas snappy cold. Over
coats and heavy clothes were an abso-
lutte necessity III the night on guard
around the herd, and the idea of going
INTO the cold water was not pleasant
one. But the COW puncher is much like
the sailor, in that he never stops to
think of getting wet OF cold, or going
into any danger, so long as the boss
himself will lead the way, so we were
all prepared to get soaking the next
day
1t was that pleasant time in the even
ing between sunset and dark. The
herd was bedded down near camp and
the first guard We're making their
rounds, with never a steer to turn back.
camp fire, smoking and talking ''hoss,"
a subject which is never worn thread
bare III a COW camp Colorado, who
had been idly marking out brands in
the sands in front of him with the end
OF his finger said: "Well, boys, faint
much OF a story but eff you want to
hear It, l. II tell you how it was. Dick,
gimme bit OF your navy and having
slowed away a huge chunk of Dicks
navy. Collv settled back on the ground
aud began;
Il was Workin' fer the Diamond out
ut ul III | tah, bout three years ago,
al The Old man he came off down h ere
l1ltu Arizona an bought a bunch of
steers to take UP thar. He had written
llS 7yagon-boss to come down with an
uutIt DIG enough TO handle two thOjls-
AND head, an We struck the little Col
orado River bout the moutl. of the Can
yon DiabIe Wash. where We was to re-
ctlYe the herd long III June. We didn't
have no particlller hap'nin'S comm and
W got the herd turned over all right,
an init a squeeze chute an branded
I'm all before We started back, so as if
any cot lost the outfit could claim EN-
or tie brand: an about the last OF June
We pushed 'em off the bed ground one
nNlllln bout daylight an pulled our
height for the home ranch.
lie cattle We're all good to handle.
an elidn' give us no trouble to hold
nights. barrin' one OF two little STAN
pedeS an We drifted on down towards
Lees Ferry without any mishaps. 'cept-
Ill one night it We're a-rainin like all
possessed, an l walked up a fellar named
Peck to go on guard. Peek got up an put
on his slicker walked over to where his
pony was tied an mounted. We was
camped on the banks of a wash called
Cotton Wood Creek. an along there
tie wash had cut down into the 'dobe
tiat some ten or fifteen feet deep. Peck
he's about half asleep. an he gets off
wrong for the herd, an riding straight
up the edge OF the creek. thinkin' all
the time he's a-goin out on the prairie
to the herd. His pony sort of baked
on him an gave snort, but Peck, 'bein
cross-grained sort of a cuss an only
half awake. just bathed him with his
qulrt and jabbed his spurs into him.
The pony gave a jump an landed in the
middle of the creek, with six or eight
feet Of muddy water runnin' in it.
Lord. didn't lie wake up sudden-like an
squat for help We all turned out in
hurry, but he swan across, an the OPP
poSllt Slue beng sort OF Slopln like,
the pony scrambled out Then Peck
was altered to cross back in the dark,
an stayed over thar all night a-shiver-
III an a-shakin' an a-cusin' like crazy
man. When we got up for breakfast
that mornin at four clock it was clear
an cold an dark. The cook he goes
down in the creek an hollers to Peck
sort of sarcastic like, Come to break
fast, Peck, an Peck he gets mad an
sWears at the cocinero pretty plenty
an said eff he didn't go back he'd turn
loose on him with his six-shooter, an
the cook, bein pretty rollicky hisself,
he goes back to the wagon an pulls his
Winchester an starts fer the creek
agl II. when Jackson stops him an turns
him back. When it comes daylight
Peck went down the creek mile an
tlnds place to cross whar it want so
deep, and so gets back to camp list as
We was pullin out.
The Big Colorado were powerful
stream when we reached it, bein' all
swollen by the meltin' SHOWS up in the
mountains, an we all kinder hated to
tackle it. The old man told the wagon
boss afore he left to ferry the outfit an
horses over in the boat, but to swim the
steers.
You know how Lees Ferry is; the
H.