United States or Hong Kong ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
Cheyenne felt of his torn overalls, shook his head, and then a slow smile illumined his face. "How do you like this here country, anyhow?" "Great!" said Bartley. When they emerged from the western end of the gulch, they paused to rest. Not over a half-mile south stood the ranch-house, just back of a row of giant cottonwoods. Cheyenne pointed out the stables, corrals, and bunk-house.
The Comanches were particularly expert and daring in this kind of robbery. They even trained their horses to run from one point to another in expectation of the coming of the trains. When a camp was made that was nearly in range, they turned their trained animals loose, which at once flew across the prairie, passing through the herd and penetrating the very corrals of their victims.
The dust of the corrals settled on us unheeded, the smoke of the fire mingled with that of the singeing hair and its offensive odors, bringing tears to our eyes, but the work never abated until the last steer had passed the chute and bore the "Open A." The work over, a pretense was made at washing the dust and grime from our faces.
"And," Conniston hurried on, "if you are going You are going the same way, aren't you?" "Sure. I'm goin' right straight to the Half Moon corrals." "Then would you mind if my friend rode with you? I'll pay whatever is right." The other eyed him strangely. "I reckon you're from the East, maybe? Huh?" "Yes. From New York." "Uh-uh. I thought so.
Black and billowing a cloud of smoke was rising, lashed from beneath by angry tongues of red flame. "It isn't the house, thank God!" cried the sergeant. "It's the haystacks. But look at the Indians!" Look, well they might! All about the corrals they were darting. All of a sudden there blazed from the ridge line across the stream the fire of a dozen rifles.
But on the other hand, I proposed to Forrest that he might have the assistance of two men in Flood's outfit who had accompanied the horse herd home from Dodge. In the selecting of Jim's extra twenty-five, the opinion of these two lads, as the chosen horses proved, was a decided help to their foreman. But Quince stood firm, and arguing the matter, we reached the corrals and penned the band.
When this part of the work was over, some of the riders set out to drive the cattle selected to the distant home ranch corrals, while others of the company remained to brand the calves and to start the animals that were to have their freedom until the next rodeo time back to the open range.
I'll put up a three-roomed shack of split logs, a small barn, and branding corrals. That'll be the first start. You see" he paused "I'd like to know about that shack. Now what about the size of the rooms and things? I I thought I'd ask you " "Me?" The girl turned inquiring eyes upon him.
Under their sergeants, running in disciplined order, one company had sped for the water wagon and were now slowly trundling that unwieldy vehicle, pushing, pulling, straining at the wheels, from its night berth close to the corrals.
The cattle must be moved down the mountains to the foothills where each year they wintered. The Bar L-M buildings were closed, the heavy wooden shutters put up, the corrals deserted until thaw time. Conway with his men and cattle would not come again until springtime came with them. And over the Echo Creek ranch the silence of the summer passed into the deeper silence of winter.
Word Of The Day