The news & observer., 1905-12-03

have paid up our debts, and we got
out of Oklahoma with flying colors.
If we had gone right on to Kansas
we would have shown sense, but some
cowboys from the Indian Territory
told pa and the other managers that
if we would take the show to the In
dian Territory we couldn't get cars
enough to haul the money away, as
the Indians had got rOund-shouldered
and bow-legged carrying the money
they had made grazing cattle, and the
territory was full of cowboys that had
money 10 burn, and they hadn't seen
Il circus since the war;
Well. it seemed a shame to go by
the Indian Territory, and allow those
poor Indians to break their backs car
rying money around, and so we sent a
carload of bill posters into the terri
tory and billed towns that would hold
us about a week, and we figured that
we would clean up enough money to
last us all a lifetime. l wish l didn
have to write about the result, cause
we are broke up so we can't look
pleasant to have our pictures taken
1t was bright beautiful Sunday
morning that we arrived at Musko-
ka. and soon after daylight we had
our tents pitched. AS we had all day
Sunday to rest, pa suggested that it
would be a good idea to take all our
animals that eat grass out on the
grazing ground on the edge of the
town and let them fill up on the nice
btue grass that was knee-high all over
the country. So after breakfast we
detailed men to take charge of the diff
ferent animals. and herd them out In.
the tall grass. 1t was beautiful sight
To see those rare animals. gathered
from all over the world, eating grass
together, in perfect peace iil this
new country. The animals that we
thought would stand without hitching
like the elephants, were cared for by
their attendants, but the animals. that
might wander from their own flreside,
were picketed out, or held by long
ropes, the deer. the buffalo, the Ze-
bras. the sacred cattle, the elk, the
yaks the camels and that kind, were
tied with long lariats, and held by the
men detailed by the managers. For a
couple of hours the animals just gored
themselves, after they had kicked up
their heels a spell and rolled in the
grass. Then one of the elephants got
up on his hind feet and held up two
toes, like boys in school hold up two
fingers when they want to go in swim
ming, and the elephant started for
creek and went in the water, and the
whole herd followed, and they spat-
tered each other, and ducked and roll
ed around just like school boys. The
whole population of the town, whites
and Indians, came to the bank of the
river to watch the fun.
Pa was holding his elk by a rope,
and one of the managers had a rope
around the neck of a giraffe; the
treasurer and the ticket taker was
leading the zebras. and everybody was
busy with some kind of animal, ana
I had a rope around an antelope, and
some of our men on horseback were
herding the buffaloes. 1t didn't seem
as though anything at all could hap
pen. The elephants wouldn't come out
of the creek, so the boss canvassman
went over to where there were about
500 cowboys and Indians on horse
back, and asked them to ride into the
creek and drive the elephants out
where the rest of the animals were, on
the prairie.
Gee. but that was the greatest mis-
take he could have made. The men OH
horseback didn't want any better
fun. so they made charge in line of
battle just like Sheridan's cavalry,
down the bank. into the creek, yell
ing and waving lariat ropes, and
swapping whips and the elephants got
out of that creek in hurry. The cow
boys threw lasSoeS over the hind feet
of the elephants. and tried to hold
them, and the elephants beloved and
dragged the cowboys and their ponies
right amongst the other animals, and
i'm about a minute. as the boss can
vassman said when he come to. and
they were picking the cactus thorns
out OF him: Hell was just plumb
out for nooH.'
The buffaloes smelled the Indians,
and they started to stampede. like they
used to do when they lived on the
plains and all the animals followed,
dragging the men who had hold of
their ropes. and away we all went over
a rise of ground. the zebras in the lead
and the elephants fetching up the
rear, the cowboys and Indians behind,