The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1906-05-25

couldn't fool cowboys q little bit. He
said If pa was going to hire cowboys,
he had got to be cowboy himself, and
if he couldn't rope steers he would
have to learn, cause cowboys. II they
were to be led in the show by pa,
would want him to be prepared to rope
anything that had four feet. Pa said
while he didn't claim to be an expert,
he had done some roping, and could
throw a lasso. and while he didn't al
ways catch them by the feet, when he
tried to, he got the rope over them
somewhere, and if the horse he rode
knew it's business he ultimately got
his steer, and he would be willing to
show the boys what he could do.
We got to the cow camp in time for
dinner, and our cowboy introduced pa
to the cowboys around the chuck wag-
on, and told them pa was an old cow
boy who had travelled the Texas trail
years ago, and was one of the best
horsemen in the business, manager
of show that was adding wild west
department and wanted to hire 40 or
more of the best ropers and riders, at
large salaries, to join the show. and
that pa considered himself the legiti-
mate successor of Buffalo Bill, and
money was no object. Well, the boys
were tickled to meet pa, and some said
they had heard of him when he was
roping cattle on the frontier, and that
tickled pa, and they smoked cigarettes,
and finally saddled up and began to
brand calves and rope cattle to get
them where they belonged, each differ
ent brand of cattle being driven on In
a different direction, and we had the
most interesting free show of bucking
horses and roping cattle l ever saw.
Pa watched the boys work for long
time, and complimented them, or criti-
cized them for some error, until the
crazy spirit seemed to get into him,
and he thought he could do it as we'll
as any of the boys, and he told our
cowboy that whenever the boys got
tired he would like to get on buck
skin pony that one of the nell was
riding, and show them that while a
steer on its head, and get off his horse
and tie the animal in a few seconds
beyond the record time
l told pa he better hire a mhh to do
it for him, but he said, ''Hennery, here
is where your pa has got to make good.
or these cowboys won't affiliate. You
take my watch and roll, cause no one
can tell where fellow will land when
he gets his steer" and took pas val
uables and the boys brought up the
buctskin horse, which smelled Of pa
and snorted. and didn't seem to want
pa to get on, but they neld the horse
by the bride, and pa finally got him
self on both sides of the horse, and
took the lariat rope off the pommel OF
the saddle and began to handle it, kind
of awkward, like a boy with a clothes
line. I didn't like the way the cow
boys winked around among them
selves and guyed pa, and l told pa
aboct it, and tried to get him to give
it up, but he said, when l get my
steer tied, and stand with my foot an
his neck, these yinking cowboys will
take off their hats to me all right. /
am Long Horn Ike, from the Brazos,
and You watch my smoke"
Well, the boys frightened up the cinch
on pas saddle, and pointed out rangy
black steer in a bunch down on the
fiat, and told pa the game was to cut
tina: steer out of the bunch, and rope
1t, and tie it, and hold up his right
hand for the time keeper to record it,
Gee, but pa spurred the horse, and rode
into that bunch of cattle like a whirl-
wind, and l was proud of him, and he
cut out the black steer all right, and
rode up near it, and swung his lariat,
and sent it. whizzing through the air,
and the moose went out over the head
and neck and fore feet of the steer, and
the horse stopped and set itself back
on it's launches, and the rope got
around the belly of the steer, and when
the rope became taut, and the steer
ought to haze Eeen turned bottom side
up, the cinch of pas saddle broke, the
saddle came off with pa hugging his
legs around it, and the black steer
started due west for Texas, galloping
and believing. and you couldn't see pa
and the saddle for the dust they made
following the steer. If pa had let go
of the saddle, he would have stopped,
but he hung to it, and the rope was
tied to the saddle. The buckskin horse
relieved of the saddle, looked around
ae the cowboys as much as to say,
wouldn't that skin you," and went to
grazing, the other cattle looked on as
though they would say, Another ten
derfoot gone wrong" and as the black
steer and pa and the saddle went over
a hill, pa only touching the high
places, the boss cowboy said, Come On
and help head off the steer, and send a
wagon to bring back the remains of
Long Horn Ike from the Brazos," and
then l began to cry for pa.