ON A TARE IN WICHITA, KANSAS.
On the fourth day of July, after being on the trail just three months,
we landed on the "Ninnasquaw" river, thirty miles west of Wichita,
Kansas.
Nearly all the boys, the boss included, struck out for Wichita right
away to take the train for Houston, Texas, the nearest railroad point to
their respective homes. Mr. Grimes paid their railroad fares according
to custom in those days. I concluded I would remain until fall.
Mr. Grimes had come around by rail, consequently he was on hand to
receive us. He already had several thousand steers--besides our herd--on
hand; some that he drove up the year before and others he bought around
there. He had them divided up into several different herds--about eight
hundred to the herd--and scattered out into different places, that is
each camp off by itself, from five to ten miles from any other. With
each herd or bunch would be a cook and "chuck" wagon, four riders, a
"boss" included--and five horses to the rider. During the day two men
would "herd" or watch the cattle until noon and the other two until time
to "bed" them, which would be about dark. By "bedding" we mean take them
to camp, to a certain high piece of ground suitable for a "bed ground"
where they would all lie down until morning, unless disturbed by a storm
or otherwise. The nights would be divided up into four equal parts--one
man "on" at a time, unless storming, tormented with mosquitos or
something of the kind, when every one except the cook would have to be
"out" singing to them.
The herd I came up the trail with was split into three bunches and I was
put with one of them under a man by the name of Phillups, but shortly
afterwards changed and put with a Mr. Taylor.
I spent all my extra time when not on duty, visiting a couple of New
York damsels, who lived with their parents five miles east of our camp.
They were the only young ladies in the neighborhood, the country being
very thinly settled then, therefore the boys thought I was very
"cheeky"--getting on courting terms with them so quick. One of them
finally "put a head on me"--or in grammatical words, gave me a black
eye--which chopped my visits short off; she didn't understand the Texas
way of proposing for one's hand in marriage, was what caused the fracas.
She was cleaning roasting-ears for dinner when I asked her how she would
like to jump into double harness and trot through life with me? The air
was full of flying roasting-ears for a few seconds--one of them striking
me over the left eye--and shortly afterwards a young Cow Puncher rode
into camp with one eye in a sling. You can imagine the boys giving it to
me about monkeying with civilized girls, etc.
After that I became very lonesome; had nothing to think of but my little
Texas girl--the only one on earth I loved. While sitting "on herd" in
the hot sun, or lounging around camp in the shade of the wagon--there
being no trees in that country to supply us with shade--my mind would be
on nothing but her. I finally concluded to write to her and find out
just how I stood. As often as I had been with her I had never let her
know my thoughts. She being only fourteen years of age, I thought there
was plenty time. I wrote a long letter explaining everything and then
waited patiently for an answer. I felt sure she would give me
encouragement, if nothing more.
A month passed by and still no answer. Can it be possible that she don't
think enough of me to answer my letter? thought I. "No," I would finally
decide, "she is too much of an angel to be guilty of such."
At last the supply wagon arrived from Wichita and among the mail was a
letter for me. I was on herd that forenoon and when the other boys came
out to relieve Collier and I, they told me about there being a letter in
camp for me, written by a female, judging from the fine hand-writing on
the envelope.
I was happy until I opened the letter and read a few lines. It then
dropped from my fingers and I turned deathly pale. Mr. Collier wanted to
know if some of my relations wasn't dead? Suffice it to say that the
object of my heart was married to my old playmate Billy Williams. The
letter went on to state that she had given her love to another and that
she never thought I loved her only as a friend, etc. She furthermore
went on advising me to grin and bear it, as there were just as good fish
in the sea as ever was caught etc.
I wanted some one to kill me, so concluded to go to the Black hills--as
everyone was flocking there then. Mr. Collier, the same man I traded
the crippled horse to--agreed to go with me. So we both struck out for
Wichita to settle up with daddy Grimes. Mr. Collier had a good horse of
his own and so did I; mine was a California pony that I had given
fifty-five dollars for quite awhile before. My intention was to take him
home and make a race horse of him; he was only three years old and
according to my views a "lightning striker."
After settling up, we, like other "locoed" Cow Punchers proceeded to
take in the town, and the result was, after two or three days carousing
around, we left there "busted" with the exception of a few dollars.
As we didn't have money enough to take us to the Black hills, we
concluded to pull for the Medicine river, one hundred miles west.
We arrived in Kiowa, a little one-horse town on the Medicine, about dark
one cold and disagreeable evening.
We put up at the Davis House, which was kept by a man named Davis--by
the way one of the whitest men that ever wore shoes. Collier made
arrangements that night with Mr. Davis to board us on "tick" until we
could get work. But I wouldn't agree to that.
The next morning after paying my night's lodging I had just one dollar
left and I gave that to Mr. Collier as I bade him adieu. I then headed
southwest across the hills, not having any destination in view; I wanted
to go somewhere but didn't care where. To tell the truth I was still
somewhat rattled over my recent bad luck.
That night I lay out in the brush by myself and next morning changed my
course to southeast, down a creek called Driftwood. About noon I
accidently landed in Gus Johnson's Cow camp at the forks of Driftwood
and "Little Mule" creeks.
I remained there all night and next morning when I was fixing to pull
out--God only knows where, the boss, Bill Hudson, asked me if I wouldn't
stay and work in his place until he went to Hutchison, Kansas and back?
I agreed to do so finally if he would furnish "Whisky-peat," my pony,
all the corn he could eat--over and above my wages, which were to be
twenty-five dollars a month. The outfit consisted of only about
twenty-five hundred Texas steers, a chuck wagon, cook and five riders
besides the boss.
A few days after Mr. Hudson left we experienced a terrible severe snow
storm. We had to stay with the drifting herd night and day, therefore it
went rough with us--myself especially, being from a warm climate and
only clad in common garments, while the other boys were fixed for
winter.
When Mr. Hudson came back from Hutchison he pulled up stakes and drifted
south down into the Indian territory--our camp was then on the territory
and Kansas line--in search of good winter quarters.
We located on the "Eagle Chief" river, a place where cattle had never
been held before. Cattlemen in that section of country considered it
better policy to hug the Kansas line on account of indians.
About the time we became settled in our new quarters, my month was up
and Mr. Hudson paid me twenty-five dollars, telling me to make that my
home all winter if I wished.
My "pile" now amounted to forty-five dollars, having won twenty dollars
from one of the boys, Ike Berry, on a horse race. They had a race horse
in camp called "Gray-dog," who had never been beaten, so they said, but
I and Whisky-peat done him up, to the extent of twenty dollars, in fine
shape.
I made up my mind that I would build me a "dug-out" somewhere close to
the Johnson camp and put in the winter hunting and trapping. Therefore
as Hudson was going to Kiowa, with the wagon, after a load of
provisions, etc., I went along to lay me in a supply also.
On arriving at Kiowa I found that my old "pard" Mr. Collier had struck a
job with a cattleman whose ranch was close to town. But before spring he
left for good "Hold Hengland" where a large pile of money was awaiting
him; one of his rich relations had died and willed him everything he
had. We suppose he is now putting on lots of "agony," if not dead, and
telling his green countrymen of his hair-breadth escapes on the wild
Texas plains.
We often wonder if he forgets to tell of his experience with "old gray,"
the pony I traded to him for the boat.
After sending mother twenty dollars by registered mail and laying in a
supply of corn, provisions, ammunition, etc., I pulled back to Eagle
Chief, to make war with wild animals--especially those that their hides
would bring me in some money, such as gray wolves, coyotes, wild cats,
buffaloes and bears. I left Kiowa with just three dollars in money.
The next morning after arriving in camp I took my stuff and moved down
the river about a mile to where I had already selected a spot for my
winter quarters.
I worked like a turk all day long building me a house out of dry
poles--covered with grass. In the north end I built a "sod" chimney and
in the south end, left an opening for a door. When finished it lacked
about two feet of being high enough for me to stand up straight.
It was almost dark and snowing terribly when I got it finished and a
fire burning in the low, Jim Crow fire-place. I then fed Whisky-peat
some corn and stepped out a few yards after an armful of good solid wood
for morning. On getting about half an armful of wood gathered I heard
something crackling and looking over my shoulder discovered my mansion
in flames. I got there in time to save nearly everything in the shape of
bedding, etc. Some of the grub, being next to the fire-place, was lost.
I slept at Johnson's camp that night.
The next morning I went about two miles down the river and located
another camp. This time I built a dug-out right on the bank of the
stream, in a thick bunch of timber.
I made the dug-out in a curious shape; started in at the edge of the
steep bank and dug a place six feet long, three deep and three wide,
leaving the end next to the creek open for a door. I then commenced at
the further end and dug another place same size in an opposite
direction, which formed an "L." I then dug still another place, same
size, straight out from the river which made the whole concern almost in
the shape of a "Z." In the end furthest from the stream I made a
fire-place by digging the earth away--in the shape of a regular
fire-place. And then to make a chimney I dug a round hole, with the aid
of a butcher knife, straight up as far as I could reach; then commencing
at the top and connecting the two holes. The next thing was to make it
"draw," and I did that by cutting and piling sods of dirt around the
hole, until about two feet above the level.
I then proceeded to build a roof over my 3 x 18 mansion. To do that I
cut green poles four feet long and laid them across the top, two or
three inches apart. Then a layer of grass and finally, to finish it off,
a foot of solid earth. She was then ready for business. My idea in
making it so crooked was, to keep the indians, should any happen along
at night, from seeing my fire. After getting established in my new
quarters I put out quite a number of wolf baits and next morning in
going to look at them found several dead wolves besides scores of
skunks, etc. But they were frozen too stiff to skin, therefore I left
them until a warmer day.
The next morning on crawling out to feed my horse I discovered it
snowing terribly, accompanied with a piercing cold norther. I crawled
back into my hole after making Whisky-peat as comfortable as possible
and remained there until late in the evening, when suddenly disturbed by
a horny visitor.
It was three or four o'clock in the evening, while humped up before a
blazing fire, thinking of days gone by, that all at once, before I had
time to think, a large red steer came tumbling down head first, just
missing me by a few inches. In traveling ahead of the storm the whole
Johnson herd had passed right over me, but luckily only one broke
through.
Talk about your ticklish places! That was truly one of them; a steer
jammed in between me and daylight, and a hot fire roasting me by
inches.
I tried to get up through the roof--it being only a foot above my
head--but failed. Finally the old steer made a terrible struggle, just
about the time I was fixing to turn my wicked soul over to the Lord, and
I got a glimpse of daylight under his flanks. I made a dive for it and
by tight squeezing I saved my life.
After getting out and shaking myself I made a vow that I would leave
that God-forsaken country in less than twenty-four hours; and I did so.