The Bozeman courier., 1927-06-10

time, it is safe TO estimate the abbrevi-
ated, concentrated product of Hades
known more commonly as the bronc or
cayuSe will be as scarce as all other rep
resentatives Of the romantic era Of the
Old West have become.
Played Important Historical Role
Despite the fact that modern science,
which has displaced the horse in many
of its phases of utility, and that their
ever increasing numbers has rendered the
cayuse a menace, we have but to scan
the pages of Montana history and we
find that this same wiry under-sized,
homely Roman-nosed crttter has played
one of the most important roles in the
drama of civilizations progress.
1t was this same cayuse that carried
the French-Canadian explorers to the
Shining Mountains 175 years ago; that
broke paths over rocks and plowed
through gumbo that the intrepid fur
traders and free trappers might map out
courses for the argonautS and pioneers
who were to follow in later years. These
painted, color-bedecked, quilted, fearless
servants of the aborigine carried their
owners into the midst Of the buffalo herd,
and brought back meat and robes and
sinews that the Indian families might
live; galloped forth into the midst Of an
enemy's camp and stopped at nothing
less than victory or death.
Of all the roles cast for and enacted
/ by the plains horse Tor cayuSe) none
equalley in romance his service TO thaJ
self-efhcient hgure-the cowboy. Fifty
wears ago and in the years which fol-
lowed Immediately after, he became an
inseparable and indispensable factor in
human industry second to none in an
equalled in romance his service to that
the range along with the man who might
be his master and whose close aSsocia-
ton with him at work or in play, made
an object of pride and Of worship.
Down through the years that have tol-
lowed in the wake OF the trail nerds,
the cayuse has been the witness OF many
a wild "jambouree," and the butt OF
many a humorous cowboy joke. And
many an interesting tale is told by old
timers concerning the antics Of these
hardy servants Of race Of hardy plo-
neers.
twenty-five years ago there appeared
in the Butte Evening News an amusing
story having to do with the antics Of
l"Old Smoky" a typical cow country
lcayuse. The tale pictures roundup
camp with it's circle Of typical range
characters. "Old Stub" a veteran of the
Texas Trail, reminisces Of by-gone day;
somewhat after the following manner:
"Old Smoky"
Back about twenty years ago, afor'
the sheep had killed out the bunch grass
and left nothin' but blister-bellied rat
tlesnakes and cactus, an put buck In
cayuse, was punchtn' COWS Tor an outn
about the only outfit worth talkin' abou
in that section, an COW hands were none
too plentiful them times.
THE boys ridin' fer the outfit wer'
about as husky lot as ever straddled
cayuse, and were always up to almost an.
kind of h, no matter II 1t m1gh
crack leg or black an eye.
"a scar was only an earmark or baug'
of membership in the 'Hashknife,' an
most every one of us had pet Of some
kind that wasn't beauty spot: LooKl aI3,
my nose. land he turned so that TIT
light of the fire might better reveal it
crooked outlines.)
"They were tough lot; an amoni
other things belongin' to em was strin
of as mean a bunch of buzzard heads
ever looked through glass eye. Thes
e cayuses ranged from mean to d
S mean; an Old Smoky was in the A divi
i sion of the last mentioned class. Boy
= That horse was so Internally mean tina
: he wouldn't get fat. He was so orner
|. that a magpie wouldn't pick bug OH
i him; although sometimes thought the
t envied him, cause they'd sit round OF
e the willers and jabber among themselve
+ like they wished they was as mean a
that old crowbait. That hoss had an ey
like the bottom of a beer bottle in
: prospect hole.
{ "Red,1 the Foreman
q Now, besides Old Smoky, we had an
q other ornery cuSS with the 'HaShkn11e
: The only thing in camp that could nj
b the gate of this here skate was the fore
n man. His name was 'Red'-Red some
v thin'-an' he was sure a half brother t
v Smokey.
e "Old Smoky was the goat of the OF
: ganization and every new man wa
: 'jobbed' into ridin' him, sooner or late
y only to be piled up, much to the pleasur
n of the bunch. Sometimes Old Smoke
= would get in kick after he dumped hi
= man, and then the feller would be brand
ed for all time. He was the limit an
d never see a man crawl on him secon
Y time; once was a-plenty. had bee
d raised to the Sublime Order Of Hash
IS knife" punchers,' when a candidate al
j. rived.
It ''I remember it as though it was yes