Cowboy

Ross Santee

• Publisher: Borodino Books
• Year: 2017
• eBook ISBN: 9781787209091
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Social Science Biographies
• Index: Social Sciences

"I always wanted to be a cow-puncher, " says Shorty Caraway. "As a little kid back on the farm in east Texas I couldn't think of nothin' else." Shorty's father took some persuading, but in the end he staked his fourteen-year-old son to a white pony, a second-hand saddle, and "forty dollars to go with the two I had, an' he said that ought to run me until I got a job." What happened from that day until Shorty was taken on as a regular hand is told in the pages of Ross Santee's Cowboy, first published in 1928.
"From beginning to end the reader is made at home in a world of unique standards, customs and preoccupation through the eyes of a boy who absorbs them with quick, keen ardor. He tells his own story without a backward glance toward home, without any curiosity concerning the lives of the millions who live in other worlds than his. By virtue of this contracted point of view one gets a singularly intensive and intimate picture of the cowboy and the things that make up his existence."—New York Herald Tribune Books
"Here is a Wild West narrative that is literature—and it closely verges upon being 'Treasure Island' literature. Here the boy is, 'all boots an' spurs, ' with dreams in his head and the will to make them materialize."—Saturday Review of Literature

CHAPTER I—Runaway

THE ranch looked like a tiny speck when we first caught sight of it. But as we kept on ridin’ closer we could make out the pole corrals. I’ll never forget the thrill I got at the sight of them pole corrals an’ the tall black-headed puncher standin’ in the ranch-house door as we rode up, a-smokin’ a cigarette. For this was no farm with a cotton patch an’ a hunch of milk-pen cows, but a real cow ranch, just like I’d dreamed about ever since I was a kid.

For I always wanted to be a cow-puncher. As a little kid back on the farm in east Texas I couldn’t think of nothin’ else. Most kids, I guess, is that-a-way, but they never could knock the idea out of me. That was all farmin’ country even then, but once in a while someone would drive a bunch of cattle by our place. I couldn’t have been more than six years old when I follered one bunch off. It didn’t make any difference to me that I was the only one afoot. I had a long stick an’ I was busier than a coon dog drivin’ drags. I had an uncle Jim a-livin’ down the road about four miles, who happened to see me goin’ past his place.

“Whatcha doin’, kid?” he yells.

“A-punchin’ cows,” I says.

By promisin’ to let me ride old Joe, a pony that he owned, he finally talked me into goin’ on back home with him.

The next time I left when I was just fourteen. I got a little further West this trip, but they brought me back a second time.

A cousin, Fred, who was just my age, an’ me had always planned to go out West when we got big enough an’ go to punchin’ cows. Fact is, when us two was alone we didn’t talk of nothin’ else. An’ we spent our time a-ridin’ all the milk-pen calves an’ a-ropin’ at every hog in sight. It was when dad finally put a stop to ropin’ his fat hogs that me an’ Fred decided it was time to leave. Dad didn’t mind so much about the calves we rode. But he did object to ropin’ them fat hogs of his.

It was on Sundays while the family was at church that me an’ Fred got in our biggest licks. Fred mostly spent Sundays at our place, or else I spent the day at his. We always had to go to Sunday School, but we usually made some good excuse for duckin’ church.

On this particular day we’d beat it home from Sunday School, an’ after ridin’ all the calves there was we decided to practice ropin’ for a spell. Dad had taken my rope away from me an’ hid it some time back. But it wasn’t long before we had the clothes-line down an’ had a big loop built. Fred was for cuttin’ it in two, so’s both of us could have a rope. But I knowed that mother, as easy-goin’ as she was, would never stand for that.

We practiced on the calves awhile, a-takin’ turn about, an’ then we drove the work team up an’ roped awhile at them. But they was both so gentle they wouldn’t even run. Action was what we wanted so we thought about the hogs. We didn’t intend to run ‘em much, just a couple of throws apiece. But Fred accidentally caught an’ old sow by the leg, an’ away the whole bunch went. We s’posed, of course, the loop would drop right off when Fred turned loose the rope. But in some way the loop got fouled, an’ it never would come off. We thought of a half a dozen different schemes. An’ finally decided if we run her long enough the loop was bound to work loose.

So we circled the hogs until we both was wet with sweat, an’ their tongues was hangin’ out. An’ the more we run the critters, the tighter the blame loop got. At intervals we stopped for air. An’ at last Fred quit. But the thoughts of dad drivin’ in at any time still kept me on the run. Finally it occurred to Fred that we might cut the rope, an’ with that I beat it for the house an’ got the butcher knife.

As usual with plans that he an’ I worked out I come in for the heavy end. For I was to pick up the rope an’ hold the sow while Fred cut the critter loose.

The hogs had all got quiet in one corner of the lot, an’ the old sow was layin’ down. But the minute we started towards them they all broke into a run. We circled them twice before I could pick up the rope. An’ once I managed to get holt of it I never did turn loose. I’ve had horses drag me a lot of times since then. But I’ve never been drug through a hog-lot since, a-wearin’ my Sunday clothes. The old sow was gradually slowin’ down, with me draggin’ on the rope. An’ just as the folks drove into the yard Fred managed to cut her loose.

What happened then was what most anybody would expect. The thing wound up by Fred a-goin’ home an’ me to the barn with dad.

I didn’t get to see Fred again until the next Sunday. The old sow had died in the meantime, an’ when the folks kept us both in church that day we decided it was time to leave. Fred was to ride over to our place the follerin’ Saturday, just as he often did to spend the night. An’ we planned to slip out of the house while the folks were all asleep.

It was a long old week for me. We’d talked it over lots of times before, but now that the time was really set to go I couldn’t hardly wait. An’ I was afraid that somethin’ might turn up after all an’ Fred wouldn’t get to come. But early Saturday evenin’ he come a-ridin’ in. An’ he brought two six-shooters of his dad’s to take with us on the trip. Fred said we’d both need guns out West. I’d always figgered too that a cowpuncher should have a gun. An’ the fact that the one he give me had a broken spring an’ wouldn’t shoot didn’t bother me none at all. For we didn’t have any shells for them. We figgered we’d get them later on.

We cached the guns in the haymow while we went in to eat. But the minute that supper was over we beat it for the barn again. An’ practiced pointin’ them at things around the place until it got too dark to see. As soon as it was good an’ dark we brought the ladder up from the orchard an’ put it against the window of my room. My room was on the second floor an’ we had to go through the room where dad an’ mother slept to get up or down the stairs. I knowed there was no chance of us a-gettin’ out that way for dad slept with both ears cocked.

The folks might have knowed there was some-thin’ up. For as soon as we got the ladder fixed, me an’ Fred both turned in. As a usual thing when Fred stayed with me dad made at least two trips upstairs before we would quiet down. But this night they never heard a cheep from us, for we both was quiet as mice.

It seemed like dad an’ mother never would go to bed. Fred was for slippin’ down the ladder while they was both downstairs. But I knowed the last thing mother done each night was to make the rounds of us kids. An’ see how my sisters an’ me was gettin’ on before she went to bed.

We must have waited two hours. For me an’ Fred had quit whisperin’. An’ I could hear the old clock tick. An’ the barkin’ of a neighbor’s dog sounded awful lonesome to me. Somehow I didn’t feel like talkin’ now. Fred was quiet too. I never remember goin’ to sleep; but the next thing I heard was dad callin’ us, an’ it was broad daylight.

Of course, we both felt foolish after all the plans we’d made. But we figgered it out in church that day that we’d leave that afternoon. We’d saddle up after dinner just to take a little ride, an’ instead of comin’ back that evenin’ we’d keep right on our way.

Fred had a good horse an’ saddle. I was ridin’ an old pacin’ horse called Dan that dad used to the buggy an’ for light work around the farm. My saddle was one of them old high-horned things that had hung for years in the barn. There wasn’t no linin’ in it, an’ the leathers was all curled up. The bridle was one of them old things with blinders on. But the pair of California spurs I wore made up for all the things I lacked. I’d traded with a Mexican for them.

The sun was mighty warm that day we left. An’ the last thing dad said to me when we rode off was not to run old Dan. Fred had rolled both guns inside his coat an’ tied it on behind. I didn’t even take a coat for fear dad would smell a mouse. We didn’t do much talkin’ the first half-mile or so. We both was feelin’ low. For my sisters was playin’ in the yard, an’ the glimpse I got of mother standin’ in the door as we rode out the gate was most too much for me.

Down at the second crossroads we met some kids we knowed, a-battin’ flies while they was waitin’ for enough kids to show, so’s they could start a game. As a usual thing me an’ Fred was always the first ones there. For next to ropin’ an’ ridin’, baseball was our game. Of course, the kids all thought it queer that we wouldn’t get down an’ play an’ finally we up an’ told ‘em that we was goin’ West’ We made ‘em promise first they wouldn’t tell a soul. None of them would believe us till Fred showed them both our guns. Them guns we packed put things in an altogether different light an’ Butch Jones was for goin’ along. But Butch was a whole year younger than us, so we made him stay at home.

We must have made all of twenty miles that day. For we rode till after dark. At every orchard that wasn’t too close to the house we got off an’ filled our shirts. We picked out several likely spots to camp, but we always had to move on again for some dog would begin to bark. Finally we turned off in a field, where there wasn’t no house in sight. We was lucky enough to find water so we turned our horses loose.

We built a fire in a thicket, where it couldn’t be seen from the road. An’ practiced pointin’ our guns at trees an’ things till we got tired of that. An’ after eatin’ some more of the apples we decided we’d turn in. Fred had a good saddle-blanket, so we put his blanket over us, an’ usin’ the guns as pillows we slept on my gunny sacks.

We did a heap of talkin’ before we went to sleep, mostly to keep our courage up—at least I know I did. An’ we both agreed a dozen times there wasn’t nothin’ in the world that would make us go back home. Finally Fred fell asleep. But I laid a long time blinkin’ at the stars, just thinkin’ of the folks at home.

We was up an’ down a dozen times that night a-pokin’ at the fire or tryin’ to fix the gunny sacks. For that ground got awful hard. It didn’t seem to me as if I’d slept at all. But when I woke up the sun was shinin’ in my face, an’ it was broad daylight. Fred had the fire a-goin’ an’ was dryin’ himself out. For the dew had been so heavy we both was soakin’ wet. Neither of us had much to say. But we eat the rest of the apples. An’ ketchin’ our horses, we saddled up an’ started on our way.

We’d made about fifteen miles, I guess, a-playin’ each apple orchard that we passed. But we was both fed up on apples when we come to a little country store at noon. Fred was for buyin’ everythin’ in sight. But I held him down to sardines an’ cheese, as hungry as I was. For we only had six dollars an’ there was shells to buy. An’ I wasn’t sure how much it would take to get my six-shooter fixed.

It was here I pulled a hatter, an’ come near spillin’ all the beans. For I asked the old man in the store if he had .45 shells for sale. I might have knowed they didn’t sell ammunition in a country grocery store. An’ the minute I spoke about the shells the old man looked me over an’ asked where we was from. I started to hem an’ haw for I was afraid he might get word to dad. But Fred was quick on the trigger an’ give him the name of a town this side of where we lived, an’ told him we was goin’ down the road a piece to visit folks of ours. That seemed to satisfy the old man in the store. An’ as soon as he wrapped us up our stuff we eased outside an’ went on down the road.

That night we camped by a little stream with timber along its banks. There was plenty of feed for the horses. An’ if we’d only had some decent hooks we might have had fish to eat. Fred rigged up an’ outfit by usin’ a bent safety-pin. He managed to get two bullheads out where we could look ‘em over good, but they fell back in again. We still had plenty of apples, but we was burnt out on them. We sat around the fire awhile, but we was both too low to talk. So finally we spread our gunn...

Table of contents

• Title page
• TABLE OF CONTENTS
• DEDICATION
• CHAPTER I-Runaway
• CHAPTER II-I Hear My First Coyote
• CHAPTER III-The Punchers Tell a Few
• CHAPTER IV-In the Cow Country
• CHAPTER V-Driftin’
• CHAPTER VI-A Job at McDougal’s
• CHAPTER VII-“All Set?”
• CHAPTER VIII-Broncs and Peelers
• CHAPTER IX-Ridin’ in for Christmas
• CHAPTER X-Movin’ On
• CHAPTER XI-Loco Throws a Fit
• CHAPTER XII-Nesters
• CHAPTER XIII-Wrangling for Old Man Grimes
• CHAPTER XI-The Baile
• CHAPTER XV-Workin’ Stock
• CHAPTER XVI-Stampede
• CHAPTER XVII-Mack Breaks His Last Bronc
• CHAPTER XVIII-I Make a Hand
• REQUEST FROM THE PUBLISHER