The Greeley tribune., 1906-01-04

sniff and one OF them tried TO turn
back to the last water they had drunk.
for cattle. though blinded with thirst,
never forget the last stream mt which
they have quenched thirst and will
turn back to it though they drop on
the way. But the men pressed them
farther and farther, and for yet little
while the cattle yielded.
At midnight the saddle stock was in
capable of moving farther. One horse
had fallen and lay too weak to rise.
The others. limp!ng and footsore. no
longer responded to quirt and rowel.
The foreman ordered the herd thrown
on the bed ground for the night. The
hcrders for the first watch began to
circle The rest of the outfit took to Its
blankets to snatch little rest for the
double duty that awaited every man
that night. Now, it is time honorel
belief among COW men that the herd
must be sung to, particularly when 1t
is restless, and tonight they tried all
the old favorites, the Cowboys La
ment' being chief among them. But
the herd refused to be soothed, and
ru1Ed and round it clrcled; not once
would it lie down.
The moon cleaned almost brazen,
showing the cruel scars, the trenches
torn by cloudbursts, the lines wrought
by the long. patient waiting of the
earth for the lifting of the wrath of
God. Imperishable grief was writ on
the land as on human face. The
night wore on. the watches changed,
the herd continued restless; not more
than third of it had bedded down.
The third watch was from ! O'Clock
to half past 3 in the morning. Slmp-
son and another xxx man. with two
of the Wetmore outfit, made up n
double watch and rode, singing, about
the herd as the long. dreary watch
wore away. The cattle's lowing had
taken on gasping, cracked sound
that was more frightful than the mad
dened below of the early evening.
Simpson, who was past the age when
men live the life of the saddle, felt
the hardship keenly.
He had ridden since sunrise but for
Tic lSSplte Ut IiOOl anu NllS sSaht tithC
at the dry camp while the evening
meal was being eaten. He was more
than half asleep now rs he lurched
heavily in the saddle, crossing and re-
crossing his partner In the half circle
they completed about the herd. Sud
denly the sharp yelp Of coyote rang
out; 1t seemed to come from no farther
than twenty yards away. The cattle
heard 1t, too. and wave Of panic
swept through them. Simpson stiff
ened in his saddle. The sound. which
was repeated. was an exact reproduc-
tion Of coyotes yelp, yet he knew
that it was not coyote.
The herd rose to its feet as a single
steer and for a second stood undeter-
mined. From cluInp of sagebrush
not more than two feet high fiuttered
something long and white like n sheet.
1t waved In the wind as the cry was
repeated. The herd crashed forward
in stampede, Simpson in the lead on
a tired horse, but a scant length ahead
of thousand maddened steers bolting
in panic of thirst and fear.
Ills loOse!" yelled the men in
their blankets, making for the tenn
porary rope corral to secure horses.
Simpson. tallow colored with fear,
clung like cat to his horse and dug
the rowels into the beasts fianks till
they We're bloody and dripping. He
had seen Jim Rodney's face above the
white cloth as 1t futtered in the face
of the herd that came pounding be-
hind him with the rumble of nearing
thunder He was too close to them to
attempt to fire his revolver in the air
in the hope Of turning them, but the
boys had evidently got into their sad
dies. to judge by the volley Of shots
that rang out and We're answered,
Simpson alone rode ahead of the
herd that tore after him, ripping up the
earth as it came, believing in Its blind
fury. His horse, thoroughly seasoned
COW pony, shifted the bedlam and re-
sponded to the goading spur. She had
been in cattle stampedes before, and,
though every fiber ached with fatigue.
she fattened out her lean BODY and
covered ground to the length of her
stride at each gallop. The herd was so
close that Simpson could smell the
stencil Of their sweating bodies. taste !
their dust and feel the scorch of their
breath. The sound of their hoofs was
ike the pounding Of thousand pro-
pellers. From above looked the moon,
round and serene; she had watched the |
passing of many peoples in the land
OF the red silence. The horse seemed
to be gaining.
few more lengths ahead and Simp.
son could turn her to one side and let