The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1919-02-06
the underpass and to safety before
the water arrived. Ducking his


head, he rode through il. By
quick work he succeeded in driv-
ing few of the steers through the
tunnel to the other side, but the
rest raced away toward the south
ern end of the pasture.
Standing in his stirrups. he
looked up-river. The flood was
not in sight yet. 1t was busy fill.
ing the ancient lake beds to the
north, but he knew that it would
soon be upon him. Nevertheless,
he raced for the river to head the
herd back.
He was only half way to the
stream when dull roar reached
his ears. WhirliDg the pony. he
started back-too late. The flood
burst through the north fence
row, breast-high to a man on horse
back, filled the under pass with a
rush and trapped him between the
railway on one side, the river on
the other, and a six-wire. horse
high, bull-strong fence on the
south.
Horseman and cattle fed before
the rush of water; there was moth
ing else to do. Lew knew that
they must soon reach the south
fence and would be trapped. He
could easily climb the fence and
get up on the railway grade him.
self, but the stock would be
drowned.
AS his horse jumped through
the tall weeds and sunfowers,
lodging fleeing cattle and clumps
of brush, something struck Lewis
leg twice in the same place. He
glanced down sideways, and his
heart gave leap! A pair of
heavy wire nippers we're tied to
the saddle by the thongs just be-
hind the cantle. Wilber had used
the saddle when he rode the
fences" few days before, and had
neglected to put the nippers away.
By the time Lew had come to
within a few rods of the fence, he
had united the knot and had the
nippers in his hand. A believing.
frantic mass of longhorned cattle
pressed closely against the fence.
Some of them were hooking and
ramming the wires, desperately
trying to get through and away be-
fore the peril that snatched at their
heels could overtake them.
Throwing himself off his quiver-
ing pony, Lew quickly cut the
wires in panel of the fence along
the railway grade. and led his
horse through. A dozen frantic
cattle rushed through after him,
jamming between the posts and
breaking them off.
The others, seeing these few es.
cape, tried to follow, but the food
was upon them. In a moment
they were neck-deep in muddy wa
ter; but longhorns die hard. Swim
ming sturdily they pointed for the
gap; but the swift current, filled
with driftwood and fotsam. swung
them several panels below.
Notwithstanding that they were
raised inside wire fences, and had
q fear of the deadly barbs that was
born of bitter experience, two or
three of the cattle lunged needless
ly at the submerged fence, and
were tangled up and drowned.
When Lew had led his horse up
the railway grade, he ran aleng
the track to the south cross fence
where the cattle were struggling.
A line of trash. from the railway
to the river marked the place where
the wires we're stopping everything
that foated. Forty or fifty cattle
were keeping warily back from it
by swimming upstream. but they
could not hold out long against the
swift current.
As Few watched the long line of
trash grow larger and heavier ev-
cry minute with driftwood and
wreckage, he saw the fence bend;
but he knew that, although the
posts might 60, the heavy wires
woald hold. Clutching his nip