The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1902-08-15


with almost any hoss."
But the south valley contingent de-
INJURED at this. and Dillon routed it as
unparliamentary, so old Joe and the
south valley man cast for choice, and
the throw was Joe's. He gruffiy chose
the horse that should be nearer the
corral gate. Then they shook out again
for precedence in order of riding, and
this time the south valley broncho
buster won, electing to ride second.
There was one other contestant, who
did not throw. But l am anticipating
my story.
After these preliminaries all roads
pointed corralward, the exodus even
stripping Dillon's bar of its deft attend
ants. The corral was situated at the
open extremity of the gulch, on a fat
of much lower level than that of Dill
lon and the other main division of the
town.
When got down, the fiat was cleared
for action and the man called Curlew
was preparing to ride. 1t was my first
glimpse of him, tall, loose jointed,
long limbed (hence the nickname), red
haired boy of perhaps five and twenty,
drawling and good natured, with the
most surprising and unaffected air of
nonchalance imaginable. He was evi-
IDENTIFY the equestrian idol of his valley,
if one dare assume broncho busting to
be equestrianism, for the advice and
encoura cement that were volunteered
him would have bolstered much more
nervous man. He smiled back jocular
ly and under old Joe's tutelage dis
carded all superfuous apparel and fit
tings, buckling his straps well about
him.
On the arrival of the crowd at the
corral the glass eyed bay had been
nearer the gate, and so twas with him
that Curlew had to deal. The rules
of the contest eXacted that each man
saddle his own horse, and, lariat in
hand, the hatless, red crowned boy en-
tered the corral alone. He was slow,
almost listless, in bis movements but
there was loose. easy grace to him,
and when his rope arm shot out from
a trail it was as swift and as sure as
forced to snub and throw the horse and
then hood the glass eyes. Saddling was
q matter to take the enthusiasm out of
O man new to the work, but at length
the trick was over, and Curiew signal
ed for the gate.
He had barely time to draw his
sleeve across his perspiring face when
the half choked and bewildered pony
had leaped, like fash, to his feet. At
the same fractional part of a second
Curlew was lightly ensconced in the
saddle, stirruped and pulling off the
pony's hood. Blinded by the sun, dazed
and frightened by the weight on his
back, the bay stood quivering for
short space, but a stinging cut from
Curlew's quirt discovered his bondage
to him. Up he reared, straight and un-
hesitating, till, losing his balance, he
dropped over backward with an ugly
thud, the broad horn of the COW saddle
digging into the ground just where
Curlew should have been.
But the red haired boy was at one
side, waiting. He must have been
quick as light, for assure you the play
of the pony was not slow. Again and
again the bay rose in the air and re-
peated the backward fall, Curlew each
time eluding it and each time swinging
in the saddle as the playful brute came
to his feet. 1t was all incredibly rapid,
| and how the boy handled his long,
loose jointed legs is yet mystery to
me. There were twelve of these back
ward half somersaults in that ninety
foot corral, and then the maneuver
was given over, forming merely an un-
ostentatious prelude to the real tactics
of the fight.
With a shrill whistle of rage that
brought my heart against my ribs the
bay made several sharp, sidelong jumps
and then took to running Through the
corral gate, across the fiat, up the steep
pitch and into the town he went, the
| whole company of interested spectators
following at their variously best PAGES.
| Curlew sat him with swaying ease, the
hackamore rope hanging loose in his
| hand. He made no attempt to stop OF
| to guide.
In the midst of the town the run end
ed in the inevitable buck, and thence
| forth the fun waXed fast and furious.
| We were not mistaken in our horse.
| The brute was all his looks indicated,
and more. The battle lasted only some
| fifteen minutes, but in that short space
of time he called into active use every
| resource of equine trickery and threw
| himself into every startling contortion
| that horse anatomy permits of. He
| bucked straight and sideways and
turned and fell and reared and kicked,
| squealing again and again in that
| fierce, unholy manner, till it seemed i'm
possible that the plucky red haired
rider could longer endure the awful
back wrenching strain. A fall, too,
meant death, for the horse would have
slashed him before he touched ground
or struck him with front feet as he lay.
During the first twelve or fourteen min
utes of the fight that boys life was not
worth the value of a cigarette. Be-
tween rage and fear the horse was
stark mad and had there been the sign
of an opening would have leaped head
long into the reputed inferno half n
mile below.
The plain straightaway bucking was
J in itself something to wonder at. He
seemed to go second story high each
time and when just at the apex of his
| jump would fling both fore legs above
his head in approved bride fighter
| fashion or lash out behind with such