BRONCHO BUSTING. 



333 



you want to, but Mesquite is good 

 enough for me until I get to the 

 ranch." 



That was 8 miles, and it was then 

 3.30 p. m. We had been run- 

 ning that bunch about 8 hours. The 

 corral was close to a ranch, and it 

 happened that all the ladies in the 

 country were visiting there that day. 

 Ladies were not numerous on the 

 range at that time, but they were 

 precious, and their good opinion was 

 much coveted. I said. 



"Old Wagon is tired and I am go- 

 ing to change." 



Someone rushed to the house and 

 told the women, and they all came to 

 see me ride the wild horse. I got 

 my rope, went into the corral and 

 was about to catch the smallest of the 

 L. U. horses, when one of the boys 

 said: 



"Don't get that one with the big 

 white spots on his back. I tried to 

 ride him once, and he was too fierce 

 for me ; threw me off faster than I 

 could get on him." 



"Well," said I, "if he is that kind 

 of a horse I will just go him a round. 

 I should like to have one of those old 

 brutes buck with me." 



All the women stood looking on. 

 What scrapes they do get a fellow 

 into! 



"It will give me a good chance 

 to take a rib or 2 out of him, which I 

 shall surely do if my spurs are strong 

 enough, and I guess they are" ; so I 

 turned and threw my rope on the 

 white-spotted horse. I always did 

 think women had no business around 

 a corral, and since then I know it. 

 He faunched a little when the rope 

 tightened on his neck, but soon 

 stopped, and I saddled him without 

 any trouble. I mounted him care- 

 fully, turned him around and started 

 out of the corral. As I was going 

 out Harve hit him with his rope. I 

 looked around and something hap- 

 pened. I was on my back look- 

 ing up, and that horse was com- 



ing from heaven with all 4 feet point- 

 ing at my bread basket. How I 

 scrambled ! I forgot all about appear- 

 ances. You would not wonder at the 

 success of Cody's Wild West show if 

 you could have seen what a pleased au- 

 dience was mine. Everyone was con- 

 vulsed with laughter save me. When 

 I got up that horse was hopping off 

 toward the creek, with the stirrups 

 meeting over his back at every jump. 

 When he reached the creek he 

 knocked it dry at that place by turn- 

 ing a complete somersault into it. I 

 finally managed to get up a little 

 sickly laugh, and went after Mr. 

 Horse. When he stopped I had blood 

 in my eye. I got him back, got him 

 going, put both spurs into him, and 

 he did some pretty work for awhile, 

 but that time I was looking for him, 

 and I sat him creditably. When 

 I looked around to see what effect 

 that had on the women there was not 

 a woman in sight. They had left be- 

 fore the last part of the performance. 

 I did not go to hunt any of them. I 

 was satisfied to head for home. 



Some of the sports who are so fond 

 of fox hunting should come out here 

 and take one run across the badlands 

 after horses. If the adventurous ones 

 should come in alive they would con- 

 sider fox hunting tame sport after- 

 ward. It is astonishing how few 

 men are hurt when one considers how 

 they ride and the falls they some- 

 times get. I sat one day on a hill 

 watching a fellow run a bunch of 

 horses till he disappeared. The horses 

 came on down till another fellow 

 caught them and put them into a big 

 bunch we were holding. When we 

 were ready to start on, some of the 

 boys said Hank must have had a 

 fall or he would have been in by that 

 time. 



"Well," I said, "everyone looks out 

 for himself when running horses, so 

 come on." 



Dave said he had been watching 

 and could not see anything of Hank; 



