11 - The Log of a Cowboy: A Boggy Ford

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Chapter eleven of The Log of a Cowboy by Andy Adams.
This LibriVox recording is in the public domain. A boggy
Ford that night we learned from Straw our location on
the trail. We were far above the Indian reservation, and
instead of having been astray, our foreman had held a

(00:22):
due northward course, and we were probably as far on
the trail as if we had followed the regular route. So,
in spite of all our good maxims, we had been
borrowing trouble. We were never over thirty miles to the
westward of what was then the new Western Cattle Trail.
We concluded that the running w herd had turned back,

(00:44):
as Straw brought the report that some herd had recrossed
the Red River the day before his arrival, giving for
reasons the wet season and the danger of getting water bound.
About noon of the second day, after leaving the north
fork of Red River, we crossed the Washita, a deep stream,
the slippery banks of which gave every indication of a

(01:06):
recent rise. We had no trouble in crossing either wagon
or herd, it being hardly a check in our onward course.
The abandonment of the regular trail the past ten days
had been a noticeable benefit to our herd, for the
cattle had had an abundance of fresh country to graze over,
as well as plenty of rest. But now that we

(01:28):
were back on the trail, we gave them their freedom
and frequently covered twenty miles a day until we reached
the South Canadian, which proved to be the most delusive
stream we had yet encountered. It also showed, like the Washita,
every evidence of having been on a recent rampage. On
our arrival. There was no volume of water to interfere,

(01:50):
but it had a quicksand bottom that would bog a
saddle blanket. Our foreman had been on ahead and examined
the regular crossing, and when he returned freely expressed his
opinion that we would be unable to trail the herd across,
but might hope to effect it by cutting it into
small bunches when we came. Therefore, within three miles of

(02:11):
the river, we turned off the trail to a nearby
creek and thoroughly watered the herd. This was contrary to
our practice, for we usually wanted the herd thirsty when
reaching a large river, but any cow brute that halted
in fording. The Canadian that day was doomed to sink
into quicksand from which escape was doubtful. We held the

(02:34):
wagon and saddle horses in the rear, and when we
were half a mile away from the trail, Ford cut
off about two hundred head of the leaders and started
for the crossing, leaving only the horse wrangler and one
man with the herd. On reaching the river, we gave
them an extra push, and the cattle plunged into the
muddy water. Before the cattle had advanced fifty feet. Instinct

(02:58):
earned them of the treachery footing, and the leaders tried
to turn back, but by that time we had the
entire bunch in the water and were urging them forward.
They had halted but a moment and begun milling. When
several heavy steers sank, then we gave way and allowed
the rest to come back. We did not realize fully

(03:20):
the treachery of this river until we saw that twenty
cattle were caught in the merciless grip of the quicksand
they sank slowly to the level of their bodies, which
gave sufficient resistance to support their weight. But they were
hopelessly bogged. We allowed the free cattle to return to
the herd and immediately turned our attention to those that

(03:41):
were bogged, some of whom were nearly submerged by water.
We despatched some of the boys to the wagon for
our heavy corral ropes and a bundle of horse hobbls,
and the remainder of us stripped to the belt, waded
out and surveyed the situation at close quarters. We were
all experienced in handling bogged cattle, though this quicksand was

(04:05):
the most deceptive that I at least, had ever witnessed.
The bottom of the river as we waded through, it
was solid under our feet, and as long as we
kept moving it felt so. But the moment we stopped,
we sank as in a quagmire. The pull of this
quicksand was so strong that four of us were unable
to lift a steer's tail out once it was embedded

(04:27):
in the sand. And when we had released the tail
by burrowing around it to arm's length and freed it,
it would sink of its own weight within a minute's time,
until it would have to be burrowed out again. To
avoid this, we had to coil up the tails and
tie them with a soft rope hobble. Fortunately, none of
the cattle were over forty feet from the bank, and

(04:49):
when our heavy rope arrived, we divided into two gangs
and began the work of rescue. We first took a
heavy rope from the animal's horns to solid footing on
the ro of her bank, and tied to this five
or six of our lariats. Meanwhile, others rolled a steer
over as far as possible and began burrowing with her

(05:09):
hands down alongside a four and hind leg simultaneously until
they could pass a small rope around the pastern above
the hoof, or better yet, through the cloven in the hoof.
When the leg could be readily lifted by two men.
We could not stop burrowing, however, for a moment, or
the space would fill and solidify. Once the leg was freed,

(05:34):
we doubled it back short and securely tied it with
a hobble, And when the four and hind leg were
thus secured, we turned the animal over on that side
and released the other legs in a similar manner. Then
we hastened out of the water and into our saddles
and wrapped the loose end of our ropes to the pommels,
having already tied the lariats to the heavy corral rope

(05:56):
from the animal's horns. When the word was given, we
took a good swinging start, and unless something gave way,
there was one steer less in that bog. After we
had landed the animal high and dry on the bank,
it was but a minute's work to free the rope
and untie the hobbles. Then it was advisable to get

(06:17):
into the saddle with little loss of time and give
him a wide berth, for he generally arose angry and sullen.
It was dark before we got the last of the
cattle out and retrace our way to camp from the
first river on the trip that had turned us. But
we were not the least discouraged, for we felt certain

(06:38):
there was a ford that had a bottom somewhere within
a few miles, and we could hunt it up on
the morrow the next one. However, we would try before
we put the cattle in. There was no question that
the treacherous condition of the river was due to the
recent freshet, which had brought down new deposits of sediment
and had agitated the old even to changing the channel

(07:02):
of the river so that it had not as yet
had sufficient time to settle and solidify. The next morning,
after breakfast, flood and two or three of the boys
set out up the river, while an equal number of
us started under the leadership of the rebel, down the
river on a similar errand to prospect for a crossing.

(07:25):
Our party scouted for about five miles, and the only
safe footing we could find was a swift, narrow channel
between the bank and an island in the river, while
beyond the island was a much wider channel with water
deep enough in several places to swim our saddle horses.
The footing seemed quite secure to our horses, but the

(07:46):
cattle were much heavier, and if an animal ever bogged
in the river, there was enough water to drown him
before help could be rendered. We stopped our horses a
number of times, however, to try the footing, and in
none of our experiments was there any indication of quicksand
so we counted the crossing safe. On return, we found

(08:08):
the herd already in motion, headed up the river where
our foreman had located a crossing. As it was then
useless to make any mention of the island crossing which
we had located, at least until a trial had been
given to the upper ford. We said nothing. When we
came within a half a mile of the new ford,
we held up the herd and allowed them to graze,

(08:29):
and brought up the ramuda and crossed and recrossed them
without bogging a single horse. Encouraged at this we cut
off about a hundred head of heavy lead cattle and
started for the ford. We had a good push on
them when we struck the water, for there were ten
riders around them, and Flood was in the lead. We

(08:49):
called to him several times that the cattle were bogging,
but he never halted until he pulled out on the
opposite bank, leaving twelve of the heaviest steers in the quicksand. Well,
in all my experience and trail work, said Flood, as
he gazed back at the dozen animals struggling in the quicksand,
I never saw as deceptive a bottom in any river.

(09:12):
We used to fear the Cimarron and Platt, but the
old South Canadian is the gal that can lay it
over them both. Still, there ain't any use crying over
spilt milk. We haven't got men enough to hold two herds,
so surround them, boys, and we'll recross them. If we
leave twenty four more in the river. Take them back

(09:32):
a good quarter, fellows, and bring them up on a run,
and I'll take the lead when they strike the water,
and give them no show to halt until they get across.
As the little bunch of cattle had already grazed out
nearly a quarter, we rounded them into a compact body
and started for the river to recross them. The nearer

(09:53):
we came to the river, the faster we went, till
we struck the water. In several places where there were chasmals,
we could neither force the cattle nor ride ourselves faster
than a walk, on account of the depth of the water.
But when we struck the shallows, which were the really
dangerous places, we forced the cattle with horse and quirt.

(10:15):
Near the middle of the river in shoal water, Rod
Wheat was quirting up the cattle when a big dun steer,
trying to get out of his reach, sank in the
quicksand and Rod's horse stumbled across the animal and was thrown.
He floundered in attempting to rise, and his hind feet
sank to the haunches. His ineffectual struggles cost him to

(10:37):
sink farther to the flanks in the lob lollie which
the trampling of the cattle had caused. And there horse
and steer lay side by side like two in a bed.
Wheat loosened the cinches of the saddle on either side,
and stripping the bridle off, brought up the rear, carrying saddle,
bridle and blanket on his back. The river was at

(11:00):
least three hundred yards wide, and when we got to
the farther bank, our horses were so exhausted that we
dismounted and let them blow. The survey showed we had
left a total of fifteen cattle and the horse in
the quicksand, but we congratulated ourselves that we had bogged
down only three head in recrossing. Getting these cattle out

(11:22):
was a much harder task than the twenty had gave
us the day before, for many of these were bogged
more than a hundred yards from the bank. But no
time was to be lost. The wagon was brought up
in a hurry. Fresh horses were caught, and we stripped
for the fray. While mac cann got dinner. We got
out the horse, even saving the cinches that were abandoned

(11:43):
and freeing him of the saddle. During the afternoon, we
were compelled to adopt the new method of procedure, for
with the limited amount of rope at hand, we could
only use one rope for drawing the cattle out to
solid footing after they were freed from there. But we
had four good mules to our chuck wagon, and instead

(12:04):
of dragging the cattle ashore from the pommel of saddles,
we tied one end of the rope to the hind
axle and used the mules in snaking the cattle out.
This worked splendidly, but every time we free to steer,
we had to drive the wagon well out of reach
for fear he might charge the wagon and team. But
with three crews working in the water tying up tails

(12:27):
and legs, the work progressed more rapidly than it had
done the day before, and two hours before sunset the
last animal had been freed. We had several exciting incidents
during the operation, for several steers showed fight and when released,
went on the prod for the first thing in sight.
The herd was grazing nearly a mile away during the afternoon,

(12:50):
and as fast as a steer was pulled out, someone
would take a horse and give the freed animal a
start for the herd. One big black steer turned on Flood,
who generally attended to this, and gave him a spirited chase.
In getting out of the angry steer's way. He passed
near the wagon when the maddened beef turned from Flood

(13:12):
and charged The Commissary. Mac cann was riding the nigh
wheel mule, and when he saw the steer coming, he
poured the whip into the mules and circled around like
a battery in field practice. Trying to get out of
the way. Flood made several attempts to cut off the
steer from the wagon, but he followed it like a
mover's dog, until a number of us, fearing our mules

(13:34):
would be gored, ran out of the water, mounted our
horses and joined in the chase. When we came up
with a circus, our foreman called to us to rope
the beef and fox quarter night. Getting in the first
cast caught him by the two front feet and threw
him heavily. Before he could rise, several of us had

(13:55):
dismounted and were sitting on him like buzzards on Carrion
mac cann then drove the team around behind the sand
doom out of sight. We released the beef and he
was glad to return to the herd, quite sobered by
the throwing. Another incident occurred near the middle of the afternoon.
For some cause or other, the hind leg of a steer,

(14:18):
after having been tied up, became loosened. No one noticed this,
but when after several successful trials, during which Barney mc
cain exhausted a large vocabulary of profanity, the mule team
was unable to move the steer, six of us fastened
our lariats to the main rope and dragged the beef

(14:38):
ashore with great a claw. But when one of the
boys dismounted to unloosen the hovels and rope, a sight
met our eyes that sent a sickening sensation through us.
For the steer had left one hind leg in the river,
neatly disjointed at the knee. Then we knew why the
mules had failed to move him, having previously supposed his

(15:01):
size was a difficulty, for he was one of the
largest steers in the herd. No doubt the steer's leg
had been unjointed in swinging him around, but it had
taken six extra horses to sever the ligaments and skin,
while the merciless quicksands of the Canadian held the limb.
A friendly shot ended the steers suffering, and before we

(15:23):
finished our work for the day, a flight of buzzers
were circling around in anticipation of the coming feast. Another
day had been lost, and still the South Canadian defied us.
We drifted the cattle back to the previous night's camp,
using the same bed ground for our herd. It was
then that the rebel broached the subject of a crossing

(15:46):
at the island which we had examined that morning, and
offered to show it to our foreman by daybreak. We
put two extra horses on picket that night, and the
next morning, before the sun was half an hour high,
the fore me and the rebel had returned from the
island down the river with word that we were to
give the ford a trial, though we could not cross

(16:07):
the wagon there. Accordingly, we grazed the herd down the
river and came opposite the island near the middle of
the forenoon. As usual, we cut off about one hundred
of the lead cattle, the leaders, naturally being the heaviest,
and started them into the water. We reached the island
and scaled the farther bank without a single animal losing

(16:29):
his footing. We brought up a second bunch of double
and a third of triple the number of the first,
and crossed them with safety. But as yet the Canadian
was dallying with us. As we crossed each successive bunch,
the tramping of the cattle increasingly agitated the sands, and

(16:49):
when we had the herd about half over, we bought
our first steer on the farther landing as the water
was so shallow that drowning was out of the question,
we went back and trailed in the remainder of the herd,
knowing the box steer would be there when we were
ready for him. The island was about two hundred yards
long by twenty wide, lying up and down the river,

(17:13):
and in leaving it for the farther bank we always
pushed off at the upper end, but now, in trailing
the remainder of the cattle over, we attempted to force
them into the water at the lower end, as the
footing at that point of this middle ground had not
as yet been trampled up as had the upper end.
Everything worked nicely until the rear guard of the last

(17:35):
five or six hundred congested on the island, the outfit
being scattered on both sides of the river as well
as in the middle, leaving a scarcity of men at
all points. When the final rear guard had reached the river,
the cattle were striking out for the farther shore from
every quarter of the island at their own sweet will,
stopping the drink and loitering on the farther side, for

(17:59):
there was no one to hustle them out. All were
over at last, and we were on the point of
congratulating ourselves, for although the herd had scattered badly, we
had less than a dozen bogged cattle and those near
the shore, when suddenly up the river over a mile
there began a rapid shooting. Satisfied that it was by

(18:19):
our own men, we separated, and, circling right and left,
began to throw the herd together. Some of us rode
up the river bank and soon located the trouble. We
had not ridden a quarter of a mile before we
passed a number of our herd bogged. These having re
entered the river for their noonday drink, and on coming
up with the men who had done the shooting, we

(18:41):
found them throwing the herd out of the water. They
reported that a large number of cattle were bogged further
up the river. All hands rounded in the herd, and
drifting them out nearly a mile from the river, left
them under two herders. When the remainder of us returned
to the bogged cattle, there were, by actual count, including

(19:02):
those down at the crossing, over eighty bogged cattle that
required our attention. Extending over a space of a mile
or more above the island ford, the outlook was anything
but pleasing. Flood was almost speechless over the situation, for
it might have been guarded against, but realizing the task
before us, we recrossed the river for dinner, well knowing

(19:25):
that the inner man needed fortifying for the work before us.
No sooner had we disposed of the meal and secured
a change of mounts all around than we sent two
men to relieve the men unheard when they were off,
Flood divided up our forces for the afternoon work. It
will never do, said he, to get separated from our commissary.

(19:48):
So priest, you take the wagon and ramuda and go
back up to the regular crossing and get our wagon
over Somehow. There will be the cook and the wrangler
beside yourself, and you may have to other men. You'll
have to lighten your load, and don't attempt to cross
those mules hitched to the wagon. Rely on your saddle
horses for getting the wagon over. Forrest you and bull

(20:11):
with the two men unheard, take the cattle to the
nearest creek and water them well. After watering, drift them
back so they will be within a mile of these
bogged cattle. Then leave two men with them and return
to the river. I'll take the remainder of the outfit
and begin at the ford and work up the river.
Get the ropes and hobbles, boys, and come on. John

(20:34):
Officer and I were left with the rebel to get
the wagon across, and while waiting for the men on
herd to get in, we hooked up the mules. Honeyman
had the remuda in hand to start. The minute our
herders returned their change of mounts, being already tied to
the wagon wheels, the need of haste was very imperative,

(20:55):
for the river might rise without an hour's notice, and
a two foot rise would drown every hook in the river,
as well as cut us off from our wagon. The
South Canadian has its source in the staked plains and
the mountains of New Mexico and Freshets. There would cause
a rise here local conditions, never affecting a river of

(21:16):
such width. Several of us had seen these plains rivers
when the mountain was sportive and dallying with the plain
under a clear sky, and without any warning of falling weather,
rise with a rush of water like a tidal wave
or the stream from a broken dam. So when our
men from the herd galloped in, we stripped their saddles

(21:38):
from tired horses and cinched them to fresh ones, while they,
that there might be no loss of time, bolted their dinners.
It took us less than an hour to reach the ford,
where we unloaded the wagon of everything but the chuck box,
which was ironed fast. We had an extra saddle in
the wagon, and ma Can was mounted on a good horse,

(22:00):
for he could ride as well as cook Priest and
I rode the river selecting a route, and on our
return all five of us tied our laryers to the
tongue and sides of the wagon. We took a running
start until we struck the farther bank. We gave the
wagon no time to sink, but pulled it out of
the river with a shout, Our horses flanks heaving, then

(22:21):
recrossing the river, we lashed all the bedding to four
gentle saddle horses and led them over. But to get
our provisions across was no easy matter, for we were
heavily loaded, having taken on supply at Doanes sufficient to
last us until we reached Dodge, a good month's journey.
Yet over it must go, and we kept the string

(22:44):
of horsemen crossing and recrossing for an hour, carrying everything
from pots and pans to axle grease, as well as
the staples of life. When we had gotten the contents
of the wagon finally over and reloaded, there remained nothing
but crossing the saddle stone. The wagon mules had been
turned loose harnessed while we were crossing the wagon and

(23:06):
other effects, and when we drove the Ramuda into the river.
One of the wheel mules turned back, and in spite
of every man, reached the bank again. Part of the
boys hurried the others across, but mc cann and I
turned back after our wheeler. We caught him without any trouble,
but our attempt to lead him across failed. In spite

(23:27):
of all the profanity addressed personally to him, He proved
the credit to his sire, and we lost ground and
trying to force him into the river. The boys across
the river watched a few minutes when all recrossed to
our assistance. Time's too valuable to monkey with a mule
to day, said priest, as he rode up, skin off

(23:48):
that harness. It was off at once, and we blindfolded
and backed him up to the river bank. Then, taking
a rope around his fore legs, we threw him, hog
tied him and rolled him into the water with a
rope around his fore legs and through the ring in
the bridle bit. We asked no further favors, but snaked
him ignominiously over to the farther side and reharnessed him

(24:12):
into the team. The afternoon was more than half spent
when we reached the first bogged cattle, and by the
time the wagon overtook us, we had several tied up
and ready for the mule team to give us a lift.
The herd had been watered in the meantime and was
grazing about in sight of the river, and as we

(24:32):
occasionally drifted freed animal out to the herd, we saw
others being turned in down the river. About an hour
before sunset, Flood rode up to us and reported having
cleared the island ford while a middle outfit under forest
was working down towards it. During the twilight hours of evening,
the wagon and saddle horses moved out to the herd

(24:55):
and made ready to camp, but we remained until dark,
and with but three horses released a number of light cows.
We were the last outfit to reach the wagon, and
as honeymen had tied up our night horses, there was
nothing for us to do but eat and go to bed,
to which we required no coaxing. Before we all knew

(25:16):
that early morning would find us once more working with
bogged cattle. The night passed without incident, and the next morning,
in the division of the forces, Priest was again allowed
the wagon to do the snaking out with but only
four men, counting Macan. The remainder of the outfit was
divided in the several gangs, working near enough each other

(25:38):
to lend a hand in case an extra horse was
needed on a pull. The third animal we struck in
the river that morning was a black steer that had
showed fight the day before. Knowing his temper would not
be improved by soaking in the quicksand over night, we
changed our tactics. While we were tying up the steers
tail and legs, secreted his team at a safe distance.

(26:03):
Then he took a lariat, lashed the tongue of the
wagon to a cottonwood tree, and, jacking up a hind wheel,
used it as a windlass. When all was ready, we
tied the loose end of our cable rope to his spoke, and,
allowing the rope to coil on the hub, manned the
windlass and drew him ashore. When the steer was freed,

(26:23):
Ma Cann, having no horse at hand, climbed into the
wagon while the rest of us sought safety in our
saddles and gave him a wide berth. When he came
to his feet, he was sullen with rage and refused
to move out of his tracks. Priest rode out and
baited him at a distance, and ma Cann, from his
safe position, attempted to give him a scare. When he

(26:46):
savagely charged the wagon, mac cann reached down and secured
a handful of flour, dashed it into his eyes, which
made him back away and kneeling, he fell to cutting
the sand with his horns rising, he charged the wagon
a second time, and catching the wagon sheet with his horns,
tore two slits in it like slashes of a razor.

(27:07):
By this time the rebel ventured a little nearer and
attracted the steer's attention. He started for priest, who gave
quirt to his horse, and for the first quarter mile
had a close race. The steer, however, weakened by the
severe treatment he had been subjected to, fell to the
rear and gave up the chase and continued on his

(27:28):
way to the herd. After this incident, we worked down
the river until the outfits met. We finished the work
before noon, having lost three full days by the quicksands
of the Canadian. As we pulled into the trail that
afternoon near the first divide and looked back to take
a parting glance at the river, we saw a dust

(27:48):
cloud across the Canadian which we knew must be the
Allison Herd under Nate straw Quince Forrest, noticing at the
same time as I did, rode forward and said to me, well,
old Nate, we'll get it in the neck this time
if that girl Dali's with him as she did with us.
I don't wish him any bad luck, but I do

(28:09):
hope he'll bog enough cattle to keep his hand. In practice,
it will be just about his luck, though, to find
it settled and solid enough to cross. And the next
morning we saw his signal in the sky about the
same distance behind us, and knew he had fort it
without any serious trouble. End of Chapter eleven.