Waterbury evening Democrat., 1907-12-06
CHAPTER II.

7 laHlly lylng on the grass III Cne shade cast by the motionless bodies of their ponies. They had been keeping such indifferent watch that neither of them had seen Miss Ren- wyck. It was the noon hour. The morning shift had gone back to camp, and the afternoon gang had not yet ar. rived, so there were only these men watching the herd. The quiet had made them relax their usual vigilance. The instant they heard the first "bark' from the steers they leaped to their feet and sprang to saddle.
 'Theyre offr' cried the taller of the two as he drove his spurs into his pony and took straight cut across the prairie so as to head them off.
 "We'll get 'em millin' under the hills all right" shouted his companion as they raced along.
 A quarter of mile, however, brought them in sight of the woman. The first man, who was little ahead, pointed.
 '
 "My God" said the other. Right ip their direction. She's goner if"-
 Faster" cried his companion.
 He saw that unless the onrush of the cattle were diverted the girl would be overwhelmed and trampled to death in the stampede. Try as he might. he could not reach her in time, yet he had the fastest pony on the range and rode like a centaur. He fairly lifted the broncho through the air in his mad impetuosity. A woman was a quicken ing sight on the range, and all the chivalry in the souls of the men re- sponded to the appeal of her peril; but, try as they might, they realized they could do nothing.
 "We'll be too latep cried the leading man.
 "Yep" answered his companion la conically, driving his spurs home again.
 "No," cried the first man as the cattle swerved; "she's kept her head. That woman knows her business. They'll be milling in a minute"
 Shed ought to be gittin' out'n it now, though"
 "Yes. God, they've got her! he cried as he saw the girl caught on the periphery of the whirling mass.
 "We'll git her out!" cried the other.
 "If she lives long enough to give us a chance"
 When stampeded cattle get to mill. ing they turn in upon themselves, either involuntarily or because of pres. sure put upon them by cowboys seek ing to control them. They sweep around in concentric circles in great spiral. The pressure on the outside tends to constrict the circles more and more until the cattle are jammed into a whiring vertiginous mass, of which nothing can be seen but uplifted heads and uptossed horns. This mass, fran tic with fear and fury, sways and whirls over the ground like tornado, with a motion of rotation and transla- tion at the same time. Above the dust of its trampling comes the clicking of the dew claws and the cleft hoofs as the feet are lifted sharply from the ground. These, with the rattling of horns and the believing of those on the outer edge, make the animal whirl- pool a perfect inferno of noise and clamor.
 The mill sweeps around and around, and the only way to break it is to un' wind it-that is, to cut into the bunch and start the outer edge off on a tan gent, so that the whole unwinds itself mechanically by reversing the process which brought it together. This is an operation of much difficulty, attended with great danger. The man who breaks in must do 1t backward, as il were. He must follow the movement of the perimeter of the great circle heading as the cattle do, and by skill and dexterity force out first one and then another until he gets the circum ference broken. In the end the break is apt to come quickly, and the awful maelstrom of maddened animals dis solves into a peaceable herd almost as quickly as 1t wound itself Into fran tic mob.
 To be caught inside such a mill is death. Fortunately Harriet Renwyci was on the outskirts. The situation was sufficiently terrifying as it was however. Above the dust she could see a tossing, quivering expanse Of