WITH UNCLE SAM 39 



and confirmed my findings ; then I let him exam- 

 ine them. When he had done looking them over, 

 he claimed they were not Texas fever ticks. I 

 did not argue with him, but simply told him he 

 could not ship the cattle. Thereupon he rushed 

 at me, fumbling with his right hand in his shirt 

 front. I stepped to one side and, whirling partly 

 round on one foot, I caught him with a full arm 

 swing on the side of the neck. He seemed to 

 become suddenly rigid and toppled over like a 

 post. 



I expected the gang of punchers to jump me, 

 but no one interfered. The two state inspectors 

 accompanied me back to town, and on the way 

 they advised me to be on my guard for the fellow 

 from now on; they said he was a "bad actor" and 

 would "get" me. Imagine my surprise when the 

 next day he appeared at the office and begged 

 my pardon for having lost his temper. When I 

 saw him coming, I thought he was coming to 

 shoot it out with me, and I "fixed" myself; that 

 is, I met him at the door with a heavy "44 Colts' " 

 in one hand. 



Later I was told that his pardon begging stunt 

 was the result of certain information imparted to 

 him by one of the state inspectors. This partic- 

 ular bit of information related to the Act of 

 Congress which provides for the severe punish- 

 ment of parties guilty of threatening or attack- 

 ing an inspector performing his duty. 



While such episodes as I have just related 

 were common occurrences in the routine of quar- 

 antine work in those days, I remember only one 

 or two instances where the inspectors took 



