The Bozeman courier., 1926-06-04
(By r. H. BEATIs)

OK AY, dye see that chicken try to
- to bite me?"
~ With an expert flip Dave
threw a defunct, though still flutter-
ing Plymouth Rock into the empty
wagon bed and turned to me with an
attempt to look grieved.
''NOw Dave, don't try to manufac-
ture any alibi. You just naturally
wanted chicken for supper and pick
ed on that innocent and trusting
victim that was only trying to gather
uD a few grains of oats the mules
had scattered on the ground. Chic
kens attacks are seldom fatal to
anyone but themselves"
I helped to eat the chicken, at the
same time brOadcasting censure at
Dave for his reprehensible habit Of
apprOpriating anything edible that
came handy, regardless of ownership.
Dave was no better and probably
little worse than others of his trade
who made a living by hauling such
COnsignments as they could get to
the various mining camps Of an earl
ier day Montana when railroad trans
pOrtatiOn was new and confined to
centralized points. Most of the small
camps and inland towns had to de-
pend upon the freighter with his
bulls" horses or mules for their
supplies, and he generally appeared
in numbers sufficient to fill the gap.
Dave was an independent unit in
the system, driving his own eight
mules and two wagons, and at the
moment I was enjoying his hOspitali-
ty in the outskirts of the mining
camp of Castle, where 1 had just
landed after a tiresOme stage journey
OF fifty odd miles. There was sort
of code observed by the early day
freighters, but to one of saving
disposition a stray chicken is a huge
temptation and a choice mOTsel to
exc out a self-cOOked meal of the
staple beans, bacon and slapjacks,
with an occasional can of tomatoes as
dessert-and by the way, for a quick
and easily prepared MONDAY meal on
a hot and dusty trail, you will go a
long way to beat a half loaf of bread
and a newly opened can of cool to-
matOes. 1t was the standard of the
early day freighter, sheepherder OF
COwpuncher who found himself away
from cooks and upon his own re-
sources.
It would hurt the feelings of q
freighter to call him a petty thief
but he had pride in being a good
rUstler, and never inquired as to the
ownership of stray rOughlOck, haT-
ness strap or cOllar-pad that came
within reach of his hooks. If he
needed them and could get away with
it, they were his. Naturally a stray
chicken suffered now and then, and
If the freighter found a camp il
proximity to a rancher's field, What
more natural than to appropriate &
hill or two of new potatoes? HI
never took more than he needed fOl
a meal or two and usually he cOulC
have them for the asking anyway, 81
why bother with securing permis
sion? 1t was hard life at best anC
ne felt he was entitled to some
privileges.
The job was not so bad in summer
time, but a winter freight trip-nO
so good. Try to imagine crawling Ou
Of a tent or from under a wagon on {
zero morning, digging the harnes.
out of newly fallen snow, throwing
on shivering mules after a hast!
breakfast cooked over an open fire
and then trying to get a pull out o
eight or ten cOld-shOuldered animal
shat dread to feel the collar on thei
necks! Probably not even dayligh
yet, for an early start has to be madt
TO make town before dark. Some Job
yes! And in the spring months whel
every trail is a mud wallOw con