The Yale expositor., 1901-06-28


cal progress exceed 100 yards! 1t was
most astonishing. not one superfluous
movement was made; he simply kept
on and on, each jump being alost semi
circular, that is, landing with his head
where his tail had started from, anu
vice versa.
This is what the cowpunchers call
changing ends, and it is not difficult
to imagine the effect of such pro-
tracted merry-go-round sensation on
the rider. The bucking was neither
high nor fierce, but the strain of that
continuous swirl must have been rack
ing. There was one slight variation
which the scrubby buckskin allowed
himself in his system, though this was
of such nature as TO be rather discon-
certing 10 rider with a head already
far from steady. Ii was to turn in the
air after the usual fashion, but instead
OF alighting on stiffenea legs, to fall
cumsily on one side, the pony saving
himself by bending his foreleg back
under him. 1t was an ugly trick to
evade. and the black New Mexican
must have been clear grit to hold his
own so long. His face grew pallid
and drawn, and after awhile his stom-
ach revolted.
At the close OF the second hour he
was helpless; his will was still in the
thing. but his body was limp and in
effective, and the blood slowly trickled
from his nose and ears. The pony
still worked with the monotonous reg
ularity of a steam exhaust, and the
end was unquestionably near.
I When it came. the man was sprawled
to one side, and the horse immedi-
ately lapsed into his usual dropping
attitude of watchful sleepiuess. Some
| of us ran TO assist Rawlns, who lay
just as he had fallen, too weak TO rise.
But he waved us back; his face was
malignant with shame and anger, and
distorted by pain; altogether. with the
pallor and the blood-streaked beard
he was not an eXhilarating sight. Roll
| ing over to his side he raised himself
partially on an elbow, and before we
could close on him rad drawn his
Colts and fired. The big gun spoke
| sharply, ana with a moan that was al
most human the buckskin pony lurched
| heavily 10 the ground.
We reached Rawlins in time to take
the smoking revolver from his nerve
| less grasp; but as he fell back again
| heard him mutter thickly: There
curse yo, y mud-skinned hell-hound!
! Ge1l wear no more men QUIT"
The PROSTATE broncho- buster'a
friends had taken him up. and Dillon
was in the midst of brilliant address
awarding with much ornate Language
the purse to Curlew, when an incident
! in the form of anti-climax took the
/ floor from the speaker and wound up
the sport with a hearty burst of good
natured reclamation.
/ had the history of this incident
! afterward. 1t seems that the boys o.
! the town-the juveniles, / mean-had
organized and schemed TO place an I'M
registered and unexpected entry in tbs
contest; and their scheme was emf
nently successful-and amusing The
| camp supported q little half-breed
/ youth of about II years, a marvel in
his love for and command over horses
| he must have been born and reared
upon their backs, so easily did he be-
/ come them. Il was this urchin, Pc
/ dro by name. who was elected to rep
resent the younger faction in the rid
ing. There was one difficulty that
would have bafiled most boys; no bad
horse was forthcoming, but Pedro was
so extremely Indifferent as to the ma
! ture or build OF his mount that even
! this was an easy adjustment. At the
/ extreme upper end of the town was q
butchers COW corral, and in it confined
bunch OF cattle new from the range;
one of these, great red and white
! 4-year-old steer. was selected, and Pc
dro eagerly started on his ride to fame
Dillon was getting we'll warmed t.
| his much-prepared and patriotic ora
/ ton, when Pedro and the frantic steer
appeared, rushing down the pitch from
the town above. There was an unre-
strained howl from the assemblage, in
which even Dillon Joined, and the
/ ulIJy, OSTe-uSNll DIdJ SuOJ cut an an
swering grin from the careening back
| Of his astonished steer. 1t was a thing
TO make the old gulch culver with
laughter Some one had dressed the
boy especially for the game; he had on
a pair of heavy fringed, full-sized
snaps, at least eight inches too long
for him. and only kept from entirely
! covering his feet by the shanks of a
| pair of huge Mexican spurs, all bells
and bangles. His impish face was sur
mounted by 5-inch sombrero a heavy
! quirt in one hand and in the other a
coil of rawhide lariat, which was
Topped only over the steers horns.
And how that animal was twisting
himself, head down and tail up. But
the boy chung like barnacle, by what
means have no conjecture. 1t is we'll
| known that q steer has no withers,
that he can buck through the cinches
of any saddle, and a cowboy without a
saddle is not formidable Yet there