122 WESTERN GRAZING GROUNDS AND FOREST RANGES 



foot out of the sand until it has been dug away with the 

 hands or a shovel and thoroughly loosened. 



Generally in the Southwest the cattle began to "bog 

 down" in March, and bog-riding was necessary until the 

 cows began to gain strength, which was in May. During 

 these two months the losses were severe because even if 

 the animal were pulled out by the riders, if she had been 

 in the icy cold water for more than a few hours she was 

 so chilled that she had lost all control of her limbs, and 

 frequently could not get up at all. 



During the spring of 1893 by actual count more than 

 1,000 cows were pulled out of the Little Colorado River 

 in Arizona in a stretch of fifty miles. Every one died 

 where the "bog riders" left her on the bank of that 

 treacherous stream. Besides the dead, about as many 

 more were pulled but managed to get up and stagger off 

 onto the range, where we used to estimate that not more 

 than one in every five lived to raise her calf. 



The work of the "bog riders" was very hard and dis- 

 agreeable. The men generally worked in pairs, and while 

 one pulled at the animal by his rope at the horn of his 

 saddle the other waded into the cold water, dug the 

 animal's feet loose and lifted and boosted on her until 

 between them she was worked to the bank. There she 

 was "tailed up" and got onto her feet, if that was pos- 

 sible, or left to die. Bog-riding was not profitable to the 

 cowmen but it seemed dreadful to let them die in the 

 water without at least trying to do something for them. 

 If the cow did not get up within the next day or two the 

 "bog riders" generally put her out of her misery, and 

 skinned her. 



The Indians coveted the hides for moccasin soles and 

 after a good many bogged cattle had been shot by them 

 and skinned it was deemed advisable to make an example 



