Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-03-25

man: that her father wanted to buy
two of those good cows We sold him
these, at an aggregate price of 1920
every cent of which he paid out of q
buckskin bag in ten cent pieces.
We arrived at New Ulm, the frs
point in Minnesota, just across the
line, and it was here for the first time
in my life. that saw brewery, where
they manufactured lager beer. ano
here we commenced to sell on the
cows, remaining in camp several days
| ing on the morning OF July 4th, and IN
time to see gaily decorated steam
boat come up the river and land, from
which came two young girls-escorteo
lby a party of military-Who had q DAY
! or two previously been rescued from
| the Indians who had murdered tnell
parents and burned their home. There
was great rejoincing among the hun
dreds who had come to town to see ano
welcome the girls. We had In the herd
two very fine steers that were leaders
These the people at the landing bought
and Slaughtered and barbecued. Much OF
the herd was sold here, so that 1t was
but half the original bunch Of 800 that
we started with that we drove through
the big woods" Of Minnesota =
Carver. We had thought of camping IN
flicted with mosquitoes (the largest
and most venomous I ever saw that
we continued right on during the night
and when well out on the prair1es
again stopped and camped severa
days-selling now and then few head.
1T is now beyond my recollection, put
I thing the last Of the herd was SOLD TO
a butcher in st. Paul. At FIT. Smelling
we disposed of several cows to the y.
g oo1dSarS Sfo f}opo6 there At that time
there was very little Of the now mag
nifcent cities Of Minneapolis and st.
Paul. 49,,
We drove down from Smelling past
the Minnehaha falls to st. Paul. Most
Of our stock was sold to 1ndians-the
very same redskins that were even
then terrorizing the whole country OF
northern Iowa and southern Minnesota.
and who had succeeded In stampedlng
and destroying two orher considerable
herds that were being driven north,
parallel with but not in sight of ours.
Our salvation lay in the fine discipline
that was preserved in our camp ana
the arduous drilling to which men ana
cattle were subjected before starting
on the long, weary, scorching tran.
When, one noon, we stopped to let the
cattle lie down and blow, we gathered
under and in the shadow of one OF the
gigantic 'boulders that were scattered
here and there over that vast green
leld-said to have been dropped there
by the ice bergs that doubtless had
years before floateG all over that coun-
try which was doubtless the bed OF
some ocean. While the rest were rest
ing, I wandered off and came to pre-
cipitous glen, down which clamoered.
It was very deep and quite cool. The
venture carried me clear to the bottom
where found bed of solid ice. chip
ped out some of 1t with my hunting
knife, put 1t In my cap, wrapped my
big red handana handkerchief 1--WE al
wore them about our necks) around the
cap and made my way up the steep
side Of the chasm and back to our peo-
pie, who-those of them that were not
asleep or doing watched me with Gu,
riosity, wondering what had captured,
And when turned out the small spec
linen Of pure ice they went Wild. A
detail was made of some OF the men
with camp kettles and axes and back
and down again piloted them. We NIL
ed our kettles with solid, clear Ice, and
then enjoyed our dinner with 1ce.colo
milk. It was tough pulling away from
that enchanted and hyperborean spot,
but business is sometimes inexorable
and with many signs and much regret
we started the drove, along about 4
O'Clock in the afternoon, and 1t was but
a few minutes afterward that we were
amazed and stricken dumb by the most
splendid mirage I ever witnessed-the
western sky producing a. perfect pic
ture of a city that we all agreed, from
what we had read about 1t, was a re-
production Of Constantinople. Turkey.
Every tower, minaret. steeple, and the
houses were as clearly Defined as
though we were really looking at the
originals. This picture was visible TOR
fully twenty minutes, and gradually
faded away. leaving clear blue. red-hot
sky as ethereal as ever. Mirages were
common, especially Of enttcing lakes
and cascades, and mountains, ETC., but
that was the first and only one that
depicted an entire city. I believe to this
day that we saw Constantinople IN the
sky as plainly as ever I could IN It's
natural position on earth.
This trip was very sereve and trying
one on me, as I was young and green
had never done days work In the
the making ofthe pup" although hard
on dad. as will relate an incident that
I will never forget. In the herd, and
really as one of its leaders, was
large, long-horned Texas steer For
days continuously this animal would
plod along always keeping In the van;
but at rare intervals he took the dis.
CrCQltdDle nOIlOH 10 ldhc IduScAIo, az
when he did so his head and tail would
toss high up, he would snort and then
start on the run. AS I have spoken Of
my pony. 1T was always allotted to
him and me to head off "old Texas"
for If he was not stopped short his
spirit would infect the whole herd and
we'd have q stampede. Well, one day.
oh, 1t was hot, and we had had no
water Indeed, that was the one thing
that irritated and nearly drove us In
lack Of water to drink and
was surly. Texas started and my pony
started almost as quickly. We ran that
cussed steer several miles and turned
pony back toward the now FESTIVE herd
that had begun to mill considerably,
milling is a term used when cattle be-
gin to go round and round instead Of
forward, and If It is not
broken up theySwill keep 1t UP until
frenzied by the drunken motion and
hurts they receive--sometines some OF
them being crushed down and trampled
their heads and tails are thrown
aloft, they snort, and then look out! 1t
is a storm of madness (brain storm,
perhaps,) that has broken loose, and
one must look sharp that he is not
caught in the maelstrom. Father was
and jumping off his own big.
horse, commanded me to dis