Evening star., 1925-08-02

what strayed away and Joined 'em
thered be two long. horned Sonora
Reds butting in and keeping up the
old strain.
Them wise hombres would feed in
the open from sundown till sunup.
tank up on water while 1t was stu
dark and then hide in the thick brush
all day long, never coming out till the
sun went down again. Solid stockade
traps was built now and again and big
hunks of salt was used for the bait,
and after letting things lay quiet for
a week or a month, or till the critters
got over being suspicious and came
regular to get their lick of the salt,
drive was made. with the idea to cor.
raj the bunch just when they'd least
expect IL.
A few-mighty few-would be cor
rallied in and the rest would make
snorting getaway. Them few that'd
get caught would also get away sooner
or later, for the corral couldn't hold
up against them stout necks very
long, and they had way of working
with them horns of theirs that would
tear up most anything.
The stockmen kept a-worrying and
thinking of new ways to handle them
outlaws and tame 'em down so they
could be run with the herd broke cat
tie. What was worse yet was that
lot of young stock strayed away and
joined them wild punches every year,
and the stockman saw where he sure
had to do something about it. So.
worrying along on that subject, a new
scheme was Matched out.
Part of that scheme was that after
each cowboy had picked two ropes,
one being tied on the back OF the sad
die for emergency, and mounted on
the best rope-horse the outfit could
hand EN-, they'd line out about 20
riders of the kind that sawed how TO
handle the whale-line in the thick
brush.
Like one time when big circle was
| made. / was with the bunch, and by
the cracking of the brush ahead once
in a while we could tell that a few of
the critters was stirred up and getting
| together. Our intentions was to keep
EN- going straight, but the snaky crit
ters was leery of openings. They
stuck along to where the brush was
| the thickest, and we'd have to lean
away down alongside our horses neck
to keep from getting pulled off by the
thick branches.
| EVEN at that, there was places them
- daggone cattle went through on a
| high lope and where a lone horse
couldn't follow on walk, and we had
to go around. All that time them wild
ones kept on the run, and we sure had
to do some tall travelling to keep track
Of their Whereabouts.
We didn't have a chance to crowd
EN-, but we kept maneuvering around
and riding till we had 'em near the
little openings. and then things started
to happen and We prepare for action.
Not worrying about what limbs and
stickers could do to our faces and
hands, we spur on full speed ahead,
each cowboy with his hat pulled down
hard a-squinting through his horses
ears and packing hungry loop"
We form a circle around the "oreja-
mas" Unbranded cattle) before they
know what's what and we've got 'em
jammed in a small opening. But from
all indications they don't figger on us
holding EN- there, and we don't-not
no more than second. But in that
second we have enough time to each
pick our victim.
They break through and by us in
all directions. Loops are spread out
and circle around big longhorns, the
slack Is pulled up, and the steers are
going one way while the ponies are
going another. There's an awful COM
motion and mixture of dust, ropes,
steers, ponies and men. Hollering and
laughing cowboys, bellering-mad crit
ters and cracking branches all throwed
in.
The critter that come my way and
I tied onto was good enough to hit
the end Of the rope fast and wicked
and bust hisself into a fine laying
position. I takes advantage of it and
ties him down right there. and quicker
| than you could wink l shakes down
my other rope and prepares for an
other victim, sees one what's trying
to get out Of the entanglements and
snares 1t.
About that time I feels myself 60
ing up about 10 feet. makes circle in
the air, and come down in a catclaw
bush. I gets a glimpse of my horse
| where he'd come down fiat on his
back, and then I see the cause of the
whole upheaval making his getaway.