OWNING MY FIRST CATTLE.
When spring opened, our outfit, under the leadership of Mr. Robert
Partin, Mr. Wiley having quit, struck out up the Colorado river in
Whorton and Colorado counties to brand Mavricks.
About the last of July we went to the "home" ranch, where Mr. Wiley was
put in charge of us again. We were sent right out on another trip, west,
to Jackson county.
It was on this trip that I owned my first cattle. Mr. Wiley concluded it
would look more business like if he would brand a few Mavricks for
himself instead of branding them all for Allen, Pool & Co., so he began
putting his own brand on all the finest looking ones. To keep us boys
from giving him away, he gave us a nest egg apiece--that is a few head
to draw to. My nest eggs were a couple of two-year olds, and my brand
was A. T. connected--the T. on top of the A. Of course after that I
always carried a piece of iron tied to my saddle so in case I got off
on the prairie by myself I could brand a few Mavricks for myself,
without Mr. Wiley being any the wiser of it. The way I would go about it
would be to rope and tie down one of the long-eared fellows and after
heating the straight piece of round, iron bolt, in the brush or
"cow-chip" fire, "run" my brand on his hip or ribs. He was then my
property.
Everything ran along as smooth as if on greased wheels for about two
months, when somehow or another, Mr. Moore, our big chief, heard of our
little private racket and sent for us to come home.
Mr. Wiley got the "G. B." at once and a Mr. Logan was put in his place.
Now this man Logan was a very good man but he was out of his latitude,
he should have been a second mate on a Mississippi steamboat.
I worked with Logan one trip, until we got back to the ranch and then I
settled up for the first time since going to work, nearly two years
before.
An old irishman by the name of "Hunky-dorey" Brown kept the store and
did the settling up with the men. When he settled with me he laid all
the money, in silver dollars, that I had earned since commencing work,
which amounted to a few hundred dollars, out on the counter and then
after eyeing me awhile, said: "Allen, Pool & Co. owe you three hundred
dollars," or whatever the amount was, "and you owe Allen, Pool & Co. two
hundred ninety-nine dollars and a quarter, which leaves you seventy-five
cents." He then raked all but six bits into the money drawer.
To say that I felt mortified wouldn't near express my feelings. I
thought the whole pile was mine and therefore had been figuring on the
many purchases that I intended making. My intentions were to buy a herd
of ponies and go to speculating. I had a dozen or two ponies, that I
knew were for sale, already picked out in my mind. But my fond
expectations were soon trampled under foot. You see I had never kept an
account, consequently never knew how I stood with the company.
After pocketing my six bits, I mounted "Fannie" a little mare that I had
bought not long before and struck out for W. B. Grimes' ranch, a few
miles up the river. I succeeded in getting a job from the old gentleman
at fifteen dollars per month.
Mr. Grimes had a slaughter house on his ranch where he killed cattle for
their hides and tallow--the meat he threw to the hogs. About two
hundred head per day was an average killing. Did you ask kind reader,
if those were all his own cattle that he butchered? If so, will have to
say that I never tell tales out of school.
After working around the ranch a short while Mr. Grimes gave me the job
of taking care of his "stock horses," that is mares, colts and horses
that wern't in use. There were about two hundred head of those and they
were scattered in two hundred and fifty different places--over fifty
square miles of territory and of course before I could take care of them
I had to go to work and gather them up into one bunch.
A little circumstance happened shortly after going to work at the "W. B.
G." ranch which I am going to relate.
An old gentleman by the name of Kinchlow, who owned a large horse ranch
up on the Colorado river in Whorton county, came down and told Mr.
Grimes that his outfit was fixing to start on a horse "hunt" and for him
to send a man along, as there were quite a number of "W. B. G." horses
in that country.
As I had the job taking care of the horses, it fell to my lot to
accompany the old gentleman, Mr. Kinchlow, to his ranch fifty miles
distant.
It was bright and early one morning when we pulled out, aiming to ride
the fifty miles by ten o'clock that night. Mr. Kinchlow was mounted on
"old Beauregard," a large chestnut sorrel, while I rode a fiery little
bay.
Our journey was over a bald, wet prairie; night overtook us at the head
of Blue creek, still twenty miles from our destination.
A few minutes after crossing Blue creek, just about dusk, we ran across
a large panther, which jumped up out of the tall grass in front of us.
It was a savage looking beast and appeared to be on the war-path. After
jumping to one side it just sat still, growling and showing its ugly
teeth. I started to shoot it but Mr. Kinchlow begged me not to as it
would frighten his horse, who was then almost beyond control, from
seeing the panther.
We rode on and a few minutes afterwards discovered the panther sneaking
along after us through the tall grass. I begged Mr. Kinchlow to let me
kill it, but he wouldn't agree, as, he said, a pistol shot would cause
old Beauregard to jump out of his hide.
It finally became very dark; our guide was a certain bright little star.
We had forgotten all about the panther as it had been over half an hour
since we had seen it. The old man was relating an indian tale, which
made my hair almost stand on end, as I imagined that I was right in the
midst of a wild band of reds, when all at once old Beauregard gave a
tremendous loud snort and dashed straight ahead at a break-neck speed.
Mr. Kinchlow yelled "whoa," every jump; finally his voice died out and I
could hear nothing but the sound of his horse's hoofs, and finally the
sound of them too, died out.
Of course I socked spurs to my pony and tried to keep up, for I imagined
there were a thousand and one indians and panthers right at my heels.
After running about a quarter of a mile I heard something like a faint,
human groan, off to my right about fifty yards. I stopped and listened,
but could not hear anything more, except now and then the lonely howl of
a coyote off in the distance. I finally began to feel lonesome, so I put
spurs to my pony again. But I hadn't gone only a few jumps when I
checked up and argued with myself thusly:--Now suppose that groan came
from the lips of Mr. Kinchlow, who may-be fell from his horse and is
badly hurt; then wouldn't it be a shame to run off and leave him there
to die when may be a little aid from me would save him?
I finally spunked up and drawing my pistol started in the direction from
whence came the groan. My idea in drawing the pistol was, for fear the
panther, who I felt satisfied had been the cause of the whole trouble,
might tackle me. Suffice it to say that I found the old gentleman
stretched out on the ground apparently lifeless and that a half hour's
nursing brought him to. He finally after several trials, got so he could
stand up, with my aid. I then helped him into my saddle, while I rode
behind and held him on and we continued our journey both on one horse.
He informed me after he came to his right senses, that old Beauregard
had fallen and rolled over him.
We landed at our destination about ten o'clock next morning; but the
good old man only lived about two weeks afterwards. He died from the
effects of the fall, so I heard.
About Christmas I quit Mr. Grimes and went to work on my own hook,
skinning "dead" cattle and adding to the nest egg Mr. Wiley gave me. I
put my own brand on quite a number of Mavricks while taking care of Mr.
Grimes' horses, which began to make me feel like a young cattle king.
The only trouble was they were scattered over too much wild territory
and mixed up with so many other cattle. When a fellow branded a Mavrick
in those days it was a question whether he would ever see or realize a
nickel for it. For just think, one, or even a hundred head mixed up with
over a million of cattle, and those million head scattered over a
territory one hundred miles square and continually drifting around from
one place to another.
After leaving Daddy Grimes I made my home at Mr. Horace Yeamans', an old
mexican war veteran, who lived five miles from Grimes'. His family
consisted of two daughters and two sons, all grown but the youngest
daughter, Sally, who was only fourteen, and who I was casting sheeps
eyes at. The old gentleman had brought his children up very pious, which
was a glorious thing for me as, during the two years that I made my home
there, I got broke of swearing--a dirty, mean habit which had fastened
itself upon me, and which I thought was impossible to get rid of. I had
become so that it was almost an impossibility for me to utter a sentence
without using an oath to introduce it and another to end it. To show how
the habit was fastened upon me: Mr. Parten, one of my former bosses,
made me an offer of three dollars more wages, on the month, if I would
quit cursing but I wouldn't do it.
Horace Yeamans, who was about my own age and I went into partnership in
the skinning business. Cattle died by the thousands that winter, on
account of the country being overstocked, therefore Horace and I had a
regular picnic skinning, and branding Mavricks--only those that looked
as if they might pull through the winter.
To give you an idea how badly cattle died that winter will state that,
at times, right after a sleet, a man could walk on dead animals for
miles without stepping on the ground. This, of course, would be along
the Bay shore, where they would pile up on top of one another, not being
able to go further, on account of the water.
About five miles east of Mr. Yeamans' was a slough or creek called
"Turtle bayou" which lay east and west a distance of several miles, and
which I have seen bridged over with dead cattle, from one end to the
other. You see the solid mass of half starved animals, in drifting ahead
of a severe "Norther," would undertake to cross the bayou, which was
very boggy and consequently the weakest ones would form a bridge for the
others to cross on.
My share of the first hides we shipped to Indianola amounted to one
hundred and fourteen dollars. You bet I felt rich. I never had so much
money in all my life. I went at once and bought me a twenty-seven dollar
saddle and sent mother twenty-five dollars. I had found out mother's
address, in Saint Louis, by one of my old Peninsula friends getting a
letter from sister.
Our next sale amounted to more than the first. That time Horace and I
went to Indianola with the hides for we wanted to blow in some of our
surplus wealth; we were getting too rich.
When spring opened I bought five head of horses and thought I would try
my hand at trading horses. The first trade I made, I cleared twenty-five
dollars. I gave an old mare which cost me twenty dollars, for a pony
which I sold a few days afterwards for forty-five.
Along in May I fell head over heels in love, for the first time in my
life. A pretty little fourteen year old Miss, cousin to Horace and the
girls, came over on a month's visit and when she left I was completely
rattled--couldn't think of anything but her; her beautiful image was
continually before my eyes.
Her father, who was Sheriff of Matagorda county lived on the road to
Matagorda, fifteen miles from Mr. Yeamans', therefore, during the coming
summer I went to town pretty often; to get a new brand recorded was
generally my excuse. You see, as she lived about half way between the
Yeamans' ranch and town, I could be near her two nights each trip, one
going and one returning.
I had very poor success that summer in my new enterprise, horse trading.
I was too badly "locoed" to tell a good horse from a bad one; in fact I
wasn't fit for anything, unless it would have been a Mail carrier
between "Denning's Bridge" and Matagorda.