Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1906-04-20

COW PONIES ARE CLEVER.
Stories Of Animals From a Montana
Ranch,


esting things to study" remarked an
old cattleman, as he tilted his chair
back comfortably on its hind legs in
the sunny window of a Broadway ho-
tel. Somehow they seem to have
more character to them than your
eastern animals.
Then, too, the ranchman has time
and opportunity to get acquainted
with his four footed comrades. II
he's living a bit of the trail, theirs
may be the only faces he sees for
weeks together in the winter, and his
cats and sheepdog and milch cow and
ponies come to be more like people
to him than animals.
Cow ponies now, 1t beats all how
brainy they are at their business,
which the same is herding cattle and
rounding 'em up. They're such wise
guys all the man in the saddle has to
do is to keep his seat. The pony will
hold down the rest of the Job. The
conscience and judgment and bril-
liant initiative that a cow pony will
put into his work would keep many
a poor devil out of the bread lines.
"a few years ago there was an
old maid schoolmarm came to Terry,
Mon, from Maine to teach the dis
trict school. 1t was the custom then,
as 1t used to be in New England, for
the teacher to board round in, the
families of the pupils.
''The first family to board the new
teacher happened to live on a ranch
about five miles out of Terry, and as
1t was too far to walk back and forth,
they gave her an old cow pony for
her use. Well, the first Monday in
September came, and they saddled
up the pony, and teacher got upon
his back with her books and pencils
and rulers and things, and of she
started.
about a mile out from the ranch
they came upon little bunch Of cat
tie grazing beside the road. The old
cow pony had been moochin' along
with his head stuck out as IL he was
asleep. but the minute he got sight
Of them cows he sure was on to his
job Breaking into a lope that sent
teachers pencils flying over the prai-
ries in all directions and almost scat
tered teacher herself, the pony pro-
ceeded to round up the bunch.
Now firmly holding a rantanker-
Gus cow in place, now lodging round
a couple of steers to head or q silly
calf that was taking to the tall tim
ber-anticipating what the durn fool
was going to do next, and seeing
that they changed their minds to
suit his, and always circling and nurs-
ing and urging and tactfully persuad-
ing in less time than 1t takes me to
tell 1t, that little old cow pony had
gathered 'em up into a compact herd
and was driving them before him
into Terry.
!. $50 good; so good says Mister
Cow Pony. but we ain't- there YET
teacher
1.-THE road over Terry flats is gen.
orally peppered pretty thick with cat
tie and milch cows belonging to the
people Of the village. 1t was that
day. But the pony didn't finch. He
saw his duty, If the thing on his back
didn't, and he done 1t.
Not a meek-eyed cow, not
cbrinlyino trarohlino uftIa boSoia MT
steer escaped his attentions. Some
times 1t was stiff work holding one
herd and rounding up another at the
same time. But the tougher the job
the more conscience and judgment
and brains the pony puts into 1t, so
by the time the teacher struck Terry
she was bringing up the rear Of a
fine collection Of about 200 head Of
cattle, representing fifteen or twenty
different ranches.
1.-The pupils had gathered in front
Of the school house to welcome the
new school marin. When they saw
what had happened they let out
delighted yell of oh, see teacher
rouning up the cattle' and went off
into fits and convulsions.
IT have often thought I would give
d good DEAL" pursued the old man,
"to know just what a smart Mon
tana pony thinks of cows, anyway.
He sure has his opinion.
IT once had occasion to lock a
calf up for a few days in the stable
where I kept my riding horse. I
forget whether the calf was over
looked at branding time, or whether
1t was too weak to stay out on the
range, or what 1t was, but at all
events the calf and horse were in
the stable together and both loose.
1t never occurred to me that there
would be anything doing on that ac-
count.
"I'll be darned II that rat Of a
pony didn't begin to round up the
calf the minute my back was turned.
First, he'd hike him into one corner,
then he'd chase him across the en-
closure and pin him into the oppo-
site corner. Maybe he would stand
on nerQ over nlIH lHcTe dS huCli do
half an hour, thwarting every at
tempt Of the calf to bulge; then he
would corral him in the middle, and
so on.
1.-The calf was anxious to please,
but he couldn't find out what was
expected Of him. and 1t confused him.
Finally / had to separate the two.
The strenuous pony would have
rounded up the youngster till ne
dropped.
1.-The way this instinct for herding
comes out in sheep dogs Is wonderful.
1 once had a young collie given to
me- He was only six months old and
had never received any training or
seen other dogs managing a band of
sheep.
Il had gone out Of sheep at the
time and there was nothing about
the ranch, apparently, for him to do.
The puppy moped about for week
or ten days. Then a happy thought
struck him.
There were the hens!
From that day on he never failed
to herd the hens regularly. He would
be on the watch for them when they
emerged from their house on the side
Of the gumbo bank after feeding In
the morning and would assume
charge Of them for the rest OF the
day.
"Collecting them in front Of him,