Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1940-01-20

est imam was the breaking or q horse
4 Spectators sat on the top rail Of tx
corral, known as the opera house
I The first step was TO get the horss
Saddled or ito ctnch on the kak" Wher
this was accomplished, the cowbo,
( "forked' the horse and sat on fhs
hurricane deck" He was then told ID
waltz with the lady" throw in N
/ gut hooks" and bust 'er wide omen
Gut hooks" referred to spurs, which
were also known as CALVES" scar
openers" and 'pet-makers," II the
cowboy was a "bronc-peeler" or q
"bronc-twister' he probably rode i'm
straight up" and stayed in the Ole
pine" no matter whether the horse
swallowed his head" broke IN two
like a hinge" or stuck his bin Ia the
ground" The horse "bucked on a dime "
meaning that ne did all his buckinp
in a small area or he "weavedD OF
"sunfished" or snapped ends" all of
these terms describing an irregular
and erratic side TO side movement. The
"SunfiSher" was said TO turn his belly
to the sun" The pile driver" came
down with all four legs stiff, and thigh
he goes and hard he hits" Perhaps
the horse was a "throwback," or one
who threw himself backward with the
intent to kill his rider 1t was such
horses that made "bronc-stompin' =" as
dangerous as walkin quicksand over
hi"
If the cowboy made a successful ride
he rode him safe" and Scratched
him plenty" so that the horse showed
many hundred and elevenS," or spur
marks. He didn't ride the cinch' dock
his spurs in the cinch), pull leather"
or choke the biscuit" If his ride was
unsuccessful he landed "chewed
gravel, or summed his moccasins +"
Very likely he used his face for a
roughlock till he lost enough hide to
make a pair of leggingS." From the
opera house" someone would shout.
Try 'er again and hit the same place
and yum git water shore"
Wouldn't Steal Milk
A slick" or a "slick-ear'' was an
unbranded unmarked horse. The COW
boy declared "he might steal a slick
ear, but he never got so low he would
steal milk from a calf" ANY milk the
cowboy had came from Eagle Brand
or other varieties of cans Charlie Rus
sell is said to have asserted that such
milk must have come from an eagle
because it couldn't have come from
that had horns. Nevertheless
the cowboy was as ingenious in naming
and describing his grub" as in describ-
ing his other activities. Sourdouph bis
lNAAt<o AAE Scl4ACQ AOQBA&-kOQor SlltkGIS,
and hot rocks. Beans were whistle
berries" When the camp cook called,
Grub pile, come an get it," or wake
up, snakes, an bite a biscuit" the
cowboy was ready for anything. but
he wanted plenty. If he had bacon he
called it fried chicken" if it was salt
pork. he called it chuck wagon chick
en-" Boiled rice with raisins was plain
John Chinaman." Most outfits de-
aloFaI f1,nf ~o4 - -
none" but there were times when food
was scarce or temporarily lacking At
such times the cowboy had Spanish
supper" meaning that he simply tight
9ned his belt notch or two. This was
similar to the Tucson bed-'yer back
Ter mattress and yer belly fer
cover" When he was very hungry, the
cowboy said he was "gut-shrunk,' and
hat he was hungry enough to eat his
saddle blanket"
One is often puzzled by the cowboys
'pithets. It was, for instance, custom
Try to call certain men "Old Tom" or
Old jim" This was a western custom
wen before the day of the cowboy
Bill Fairweather, who discovered gold
n Alder gulch in 1868, was called "Old +,
BIZ by his partners, although he was I
)nly 81 years old at the time It was
experience that gave a man the name
old" even though he were but
'oungster in years. The cowboy valued
experience almost as much as ne did
courage. He liked to be able to say of
/ man, He's got more sand than the
doJave desert" OF person who didn't
AVE sand, the cowboy said, His CUTS
las turned to fiddle strings" or you
,ould take bunch of corn cobS an
ightnin' bugs and make him run till
lis tongue hung out like a calf rope"
Such person was advised to hunt up
omething yu can use for backbone"
Was Vests First Poet
When all is said and done the cow
10Y was essentially a poet-the first
1oet that the west produced. The old
ime cow dog would probably have
norted to hear himself so described,
'ut them was the qualities he had"
In element of exaggeration, powerful
md vivid imagery, a warm sense of
he al1VeneSS of thingS-theSe have al
VayS been the ingredients of poetry,
nd these we're in the cowboys speech.
have heard a rider whose speciality
vas ropes tell how good rope could
re used as a whip. An experienced
land, he said. could make 1t crack
Ike a blacksnake, slip hair and tear
eel it. Another, who had been around
1hen Sitting Bull was taken into GUS
ody, told of IAN Indian haircut"
7hich, he said, called for certain
mount of hide which makes it handler
D trim leggin's with" 1t was often
aid of glum or brooding person
hat his lip hangs like blacks1nith's
prom"
The cowboys speech was full Of
loetry because his life was full Of
oetry The cowboy lived hard and /
rec and independent, enjoying ex-
erience to the full, sticking close to
and contemptuous of shams.
UGH has always been the substance
enduring poetry. If good fortune
as fleeting. he said it LASTED quick"
Lhisky in q fiYe-handed poker game,