The Glacier reporter. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1953-current, 1959-12-24

good-for.nothing lariats with a
brass hondo on the end.
made a small loop. and. after
few tries, managed to get the
loop over Toms head, and pulled
him up. wiggling like a catfish.
He gasped, rolled his eyes. then
lay very still where laid him
out In the sun to dry out.
Tom was a near goncr. l made a
nest In a box for him in the
cabin. He wouldn't eat or drink
lsor the next few days. even
though tried him on some fresh
gopher meat.
Fresh Milk
Then I thought about a COW out
on the range; she had lost her
calf and had a big bag. ! drove
her into the corral. and after a
battle tieing up very mad range
bessie. l got some milk. Old Tom.
to my surprise - he was pretty
low by that time - drank the
milk. I got more milk for him
every day. until. by degrees, he
came out of it.
After a while. when my hounds
were about three-fourths grown.
l started taking them out with
me on my rides. One day. in the
latter part of July. l ran into
six or seven half-grown coyote
pups. They were out on a dry
lake bed. l hollered coyote" My
hounds. following up behind. saw
them at once and away they
went. The coyotes began going
down badger holes. Two of them
didn't make it. My hounds pair
ed up. two at coyote. and they
quickly had them down on the
ground mauling the life on, of
them.
The old mother coyote had been
with her pups. and when she
saw US coming she ran over
small knoll. Then while | was
riding up. she ran in and bit my
blue hounds tail off. This she
had done right there in front of
me. SO near. l tried jumping my
horse on her she was that in.
tent on protecting her whelp.
Then she ran over the hill again.
All this had happened SO quick
that l hardly believed my eyes.
Minor Detail
The hound that got her tail
bit off merely looked at the old
coyote - she didn't qui, - and
she went right back TO the job
of killing. Her tai! looked more
like 1t had been broken off: it
hung down. still holdlng together
by a piece of skin finished
cutting II off - thea had a bob.
tailed hound.
Some old timers s.:.i remain
who remember the hi. Jane rain
of 1909 Without any preliminary
buster. electric Storm or wind.
vaporous clcrd, moved in over
the horizons AID hung so low and
heavy that | dida't see the sun
for two weeks. These clouds were
really loaded with the biggest
drops o: rain that ever fell on
TIE lad - as far as k,ow
Tia; evening when | started |
caught up a wraasle pony to
put on a picket rope for running
in the horses in the morning. The
big bunch ranged on the north
side OF the river. When morning
came the river was wild tor.
rca; OF black water. ! couldn't
cross. anyway. and II was still
raining hard - no use to 60 out.
About noon two half-drowned
riders dismounted at the corral
and came dripping into the cabin.
Nins.0sy Rain
For nine days the three Of US
were cooped up in the cabin. We
heard the heavy fall Of rain on
the roof and all through the long.
dreary days we looked out the
windows watching the rain drops
splash in the standing water out.
side. Water was bubbling up out
Of the badger and gopher holes.
Some times we saw half.drowncd
gophcrs swimming crawling. try.
ing TO find higher ground and
not knowing where they were
going.
Here a, the camp the banks
narrowed. The river had risen
about 20 feet and was carrying
. load that brought the water up
very near the cabin and c0rrals.
Looking out Of the north win.
dow. across the river. We saw
the omnivorous flood eating away
at o cut bank. Some times chunks
Of gumbo. big Is . house. tum.
bled down Its roily current and
washed away In the flood.
Up the river. the flood was
mile vide across the valley.
Shacks. sections OF sheds and
barns we're floating down the
wide current. A hay stack. look.
Ing like a steamboat. was moving
slowly with the flood. All the
cross fences across the valley
were washed away. the wires
No. Il. AkA saslhtAsns