262. WESTERN GRAZING GROUNDS AND FOREST RANGES 



of the carts. It took the driver some time to get the 

 mule to back, but when, after a lot of profanity and 

 fighting, the poor animal decided to do what was wanted 

 he did so with so much enthusiasm that when the 

 wheels struck the log they went over it as if it were 

 a straw, and with the Irishman swinging to the bit 

 the outfit dropped over the cliff where, a hundred feet 

 below, it still lies among the rocks. The driver hung 

 on until he saw it was useless, and then let go just in 

 time to save himself from a like fate. 



One of the very best and toughest cow ponies I ever 

 owned was a locoed horse that could not be led two feet 

 by the bridle reins. The only possible way to handle 

 him was to get him ahead and drive or herd him along. 

 As for getting him across a rope laid on the ground, 

 I believe that if a rope had been laid on the ground in 

 a complete circle around him he would have starved 

 to death before passing over it. Running him at full 

 speed after a cow he was apt at any time to jump three 

 feet into the air to clear some inoffensive little white 

 stick lying on the ground. 



Locoed animals seem inclined to fall very readily, 

 especially when drinking. During the outbreak in Ari- 

 zona in 1895 we were forced to keep men at a stream 

 where many horses were watering to drag out those 

 that fell into the creek or else have them drown in two 

 feet of water. In spite of this many of those that came 

 to water at night were drowned. I have seen lur^v 

 numbers of dead horses lying about the edge of a prairie 

 lake which did not have have more than two feet of 

 water in its deepest place. 



Loco-eating is a developed habit. The animal begins 

 t< nibble at it probably because other f<''d is scarce and 



