The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1907-10-11
MY SOUL
. AN AMATEUR :
AOPER oil BEARS


which border the Santa Clara VAL
ley. fell in with an elderly horse
man whose weather-beaten saddle
and service-glossed RATA proclaimed
him knight OF the open range. Con-
versation developed that he had
taken a bunch of beef cattle" to
Palo Alto. and was now returning to
his ranch in the mountains.
At this point We were interrupted
by pair of bareheaded youths in an
automobile, who footed us out of the
road. and grinned broadly when our
horses tried to climb the fence.
My companion was smiling remi-
0iscently when We resumed our jour
ney.
Those automobiles are a good
thing" said he. Before they came
out. that class OF people had to turn
cowboy for excitement. In the early
days / rode with one such, and he
made me lot of trouble.
Even before he could ride a gen.
tie horse he was much more of cow
boy than we who were raised in the
saddle. He wore a fringed buckskin
suit and tucked his trousers into his
boots like the cowboys in pictures.
about the time he got so that he
could ride an animal that bucked a
little, and could make an occasional
catch with a lasso. he was turned
over to me for a side partner. The
boss apologized for it few days
later; said the lad was nephew of
the owner, and asked me to keep him
from killing himself and his mounts
IL could
Il soon found that Bill. as he in
sisted on being called, was all right,
except that he was young for his
twenty-one years and wanted excite
ment. He needed excitement. His
system craved it as cattle crave salt
and he got 1t. 1t came in such
bunch that he became a nice, quiet,
useful cowboy.
''The range We were riding was
along the base of the pine hills that
border the seacoast below Monterey
Bay. One day, as we were crossing
a stretch of drift sand which ran back
perhaps a halfmile from the beach.
we came upon big cinnamon bear
prOwling about among the piles Of
kelp thrown up alongshore. / would
have given ten dollars for a rife, be-
cause he had been pulling down our
calves.
Young Bill at once made a grab
for his lasso. 1t was a sixty-foot one,
longer by ten feet than any man can
use to advantage.
What you going to do?' 1 asked.
Going to lasso him, Of course!r
.on!'
Not much!' said This horse
Of mine isn't broke to hold, and he
isn't fit to hold a bear; his back is
tender
bill didn't quite dare to say,
You're afraid but he looked it good
and strong as he began shaking out
his moose.
You'd better let the bear alone,
said. 1t needs three men to handle
one of those fellows
But Bill, acting mighty mad and
important. plunged his spurs into his
mustangs fanks like the cowboys
you read of, and raced after Mr.. Gin
namon, who was now Logging it for
the timber.
Il rode after them, though not in
much alarm, because Bill wasn't
what you would call an expert with
a RATA. But with the first cast he
noosed him. What was more, he took
his turns round the saddle-horn and
vaquero. If he had been a vaQuero,
though, he would have dropped the
riata and let the Lear go; for the
moose had taken in a foreleg and
was drawn about the shoulder in
such a way that the best man and
horse on earth could not have held
the brute or chicken him down.
THE cinnamon began to fight the
rope the moment the horse settled
back, rolling over and over, and claw
Ing and swapping like a bear gone
mad. Then Bill allowed his mount
to turn so that he caught the strain
sidewise.
In this event one of two things
must happen-either the horse is
pulled over or the saddle turns. II
was the saddle this time. 1t was
lucky thing for the owners nephew
that the rope came free from the sad
dle-horn. IL 1T hadn't, nothing in
the world would have prevented him
from being cut in two or kicked to
death, or both.
1T was bad enough, anyway, for
Bill got mixed up with the extra ten
feet of RATA; and the bear-well, the
bear took new start for the timber.
Bill yelled for help then in a way
that I'll never forget. I'knew that
drag through the sand wouldn't dam
age him any worth rnanfinninn hrt