April

April 1 - 6, 2002: Winter Ranch Week

Tuesday, April 2, 2002
Lyndsey loaded up the crew and horses headed to the Upper H.Q. Bart had called saying he hadn't seen a couple of the yearlings all week so she headed up to hunt them down. Also I asked her to ride around and check on water and grass, trying to find where it maybe was greening up. We were at the farm again all day. We have till Friday to get all the fields fertilized and dragged one last time before the fields flood and we stand back to watch it grow for the next six weeks. As we were headed home it was almost dark and I remembered that the lights on the truck Lyndsey was driving had stopped working a few nights before when I wa s driving it. I had forgotten to tell her. But she made it, driving by the light of her flashers getting back about 8pm. She had found the horses and reported the smoke of a pretty good fire to the south.

Wednesday, April 3, 2002
We headed out to gather up some cattle to get our first load ready to go up top. We're really running out of water around here. In the last four days we've found 6 rockin' arrow cattle dead stuck in the mud around drying up tanks. We found several small bunches over the course of the day and the crew pushed them all down to the river. Maggie rode with us today as did John. Frank was on the road getting more fertilizer. From the beginning of the day I watched the cloud of smoke over the distant mountains. In the morning it was just a tendril, by mid afternoon it was a huge mushroom cloud and looking hot. We worked all day and headed home about 5pm.
When I got back there were messages from the Forest Service and a couple other people about the fire. It was moving fast across our range and by the time I got home it had gone over the mountain. John and I are going up top to look around in the morning.

Thursday, April 4, 2002
Lyndsey and the crew trailered up to Roberts Park. Taking with them salt and Navajo Joe as a pack animal. They spent the day putting salt out all over the area. It took all day. When they got home Peter and Ross went down to the corrals and practiced their roping on the steers we have penned up. They had a fun time harassing them. John rode out to Fox tank and Corner tank. He reported another dead cow and the water holding ok. Maggie and I drove up top taking with us a trailer load of horses. They had the roads closed into the forest, guarded by county cops. When we got to the roadblock it was Franks brother on duty. We passed some chat and headed up. The smoke got thicker as we got closer, when we got to the upper H.Q. the fire was about 3 miles east. The fire line stretched over 7 miles. This fire was started by lightning on Friday and reported in by a friend who works a lookout tower. Well, it was coming to a weekend so they decided to wait till Monday before sending a crew out. No point in messing up a weekend.
On Saturday the fire was 80 acres, by Monday it was over 10,000. Now they are scrambling. They are putting up a huge 200 man camp in our horse pasture. Complete with hot showers, satellite TV, catering and portable offices. The speed the fire is moving away from the ranch this camp will be obsolete by the time they get it all set up. They have bulldozers parked on our water line from the spring to the house. I hollered about that. I have 25 horses in that pasture and they are driving down the road at 55 mph. Do they ask? No. Do they care? No. They are a bunch of morons having a great time. Just like a bunch of boy scouts going camping. I get so pissed as I see the waste and inefficiency of the government at work. I must have passed 30 gov't trucks driving up the mountain, each with just one person in it. You people are paying piles of money and 99% of it goes to waste. So now we are on hold as far as moving cattle. We will get to it hopefully on Monday.

Friday, April 5, 2002
Another damn nice day in New Mex. Lyndsey and the crew went over to Beaver Canyon to hunt some big pairs. This is the canyon I cut the trail into last week. She'd never been in there and was excited to go. They found the trail and headed in. One of the goals was to find the water that we knew had to be in there. They found it and found that it was really nice stretching in small pools for a quarter mile up the canyon. They also came out with three pairs that were all good size. They then headed up to Vigil spring and came back to the Ghost Ranch with five more pairs just as I got there about 4pm. We loaded them up and hauled 'em home where we quickly built a fire and branded a couple calves that were getting too big to let go any longer.
I had driven to the upper ranch to meet with the fire director about all the people around our spring and water line. There are over 500 people in the tent city now. The fire is big news on all the nat'l news channels, lots of folks calling to see if we're ok. Thanks. The fire has slowed down but is still caught up in lots of rough country in the wilderness. They are going to have a hard time getting it out. The forest service called this evening hoping I'd go back into the packing business and run mules to the camps in the wilderness. Any other time I would love the contract, but we are going to try moving cattle again on Monday so they take precedence. The money is good on those fire contracts. I heard it was paying $1000,00 per day for packers. The crew this week was great. Peter, Ross and Helen working along side Lyndsey got a lot of riding in and work done. I think we will see a few of them again.

April 7 - 13, 2002: Spring Works

Monday, April 8, 2002
We only have two guests this week. Two Dutch fellas. Stefen and Marty, Marty now lives in the states. He's only been here a year but it's the damndest thing...the guy has no accent. I mean none at all. You would think he was from the Midwest. They started the week getting right at it as we gathered the Hicks. We went and got a bunch that were right at the windmill. It's only a long mile push over the river to the Alma corrals from there. Slick as you please we got them in the corrals and we started sorting. I was on Doc and he was flawless cutting. It's his thing.
The morning was slow as we were cutting mine from the Rockin' Arrow cattle. We are going up separate the herds, and hopefully stay that way. The way the Rockin' Arrow does things leaves John and I frustrated and shaking our heads. She has the strangest way of tagging and tallying her cattle and has changed it three or four times in the last few months. Some have letters, some numbers, the numbers are in no sequence, she had it all written down on a clipboard and has no clue what the hell she's doing. Oh, I wish I had John's patience. While we were cutting Lyndsey and the guys went to the Hicks tank and pushed a couple head into the River trap. Then they rode over and gathered all of the Hicks pasture. It worked out fine. Just as I got there they were coming into the windmill lot and from there it was an easy push into the corrals. The day was great, about 75, a few clouds in the afternoon and almost no wind.

Tuesday, April 9, 2002
A great spring day...again. High of about 70, a few big puffy clouds in the afternoon. I went to the Alma corrals early to cut a couple pairs of mine off from the Rockin' arrow cattle. John of course was already there. I think he gets up about 4am. I have a hard time getting up at 7am now with day light savings. I hate daylight savings. Makes me feel guilty when at 7pm it's still full afternoon and I feel I should be working.
We loaded Gary's truck and he headed up the mountain. Then we sorted a load for my truck and I was on the road by about 9am. Just as I was getting ready to leave the whole crew arrived, Maggie, Lyndsey, Frank, Stefen and Marty. I sent them out to gather the River pasture, i figured there were about 50 head in there. They were going to sort and work those while I was up top.
The cattle we are working right now are mostly all Rockin Arrow so it's a dangerous deal. We are all getting pretty sick and tired of being chased up the fences. John and Sug got penned against the fence by a nasty high horned cow for about a minute. There was no blood drawn but Sug will have some sore spots. I'm close to saying enough is enough, but it would mean I'd be doing myself out of winter country. It could be doable if I'm willing keep them close to the upper H.Q. all winter and feed them all the hay we grow. Or till the snow comes so deep and kills 'em all. I just know it's a matter of time before one of us or a horse gets really hurt. Marinel pisses everyone off by sitting on the fence laughing as we scramble for our lives. I guess it might look pretty funny, couple of slow, crippled up cowboys trying to climb a rotten fence before getting a 1,200 pound horned suppository.
I went up top dropped off the small load of cattle I had and checked in with Bart at the H.Q. and then at the Fire camp. The fire is pretty much out, and they are reluctantly breaking camp. The circus is leaving town. The area where they were is torn all to hell and matted down. The rain helped make a mud mess of it. Now there will always be people using it as a camp ground since it's now established. There's an area right across the road that's been a campground for years, but oh they needed fresh ground to trample. Leave nothing but Tracks my ass.
I got out and walked around a bit in a few areas and found the ground to be moist down a couple inches. The rain last weekend really made a huge difference up there. The country will start to wake up now.
When I got back to Alma they were just getting set to brand. I should have driven a bit slower. We had about 20 to do. Marinel is insisting on branding before shipping...I won't. I think it's too much stress on them. Branding, Shipping, new place. She's branding really, really small calves.
I know I will be paying a price for it later when we are branding 400 pound calves and they are kicking the heck out of us and dragging us around the corrals but that's just the difference between the way each outfit does things I guess. Marty and Stefen jumped right in and helped, the job took a couple hours. I heard it had been pretty wild before I got there. Stampeding cattle and chargey cows, I saw the sign of it by the broken boards scattered around. It's exciting all the time around there, you never relax. Over the last two days we have been cutting my cattle into a pen and just kinda setting them out of the way. This evening I went to feed them and put out a bale of hay in the pen. I climbed over to spread it out and every cows looked at me with peaceful eyes and there was not a pulse of danger any where. It was a good feeling. A bull we call Motley was eating on the bale as I cut the strings. I bent over to grab an arm load and was eye to eye with him separated by just a half foot. It was nice to just wander around among my animals and know I was welcome there. The day ended at about seven.

Wednesday, April 10, 2002
The day was a fine one with temps. in the low 70's and a light breeze. A few high clouds in the afternoon. We went to the corral in Alma first. Frank rode with Stefen and Marty. Lyndsey went to town to take her dog to the vet, just for a check up. The crew pushed a few head we didn't need in the corral out to the river, then loaded up and headed to Roberts Park. There they worked to get 20 pairs so we have enough to fill a semi we have coming in the morning. John and I stayed and sprayed a few cattle that looked a bit lousy. We ran them through the chute and made short work of it. John took his horse and truck up to the Park to help Frank. I took mine to the farm to check things there and get some cow hay. The fields sure are growing. I unloaded Dakota and rode the fields. When we were done I stopped so he could enjoy some fresh grass. It was the best eating he'd had in months. When I told him we had to go he bucked and fought not wanting to stop filling his fat cheeks with sweet grass. We went and dropped the hay at the corrals and then headed up to the Park. Just as I got there they were finishing penning the cattle. John and I each hauled a load off while Frank and the crew went and checked a few gates and looked things over. When we got back to the corrals Maggie was there. I Knew that something not good was up and I was right. The Forest Service had called and told her they were not going to replace the waterline as they had promised because they had no proof that they damaged the line. Humm water line was fine all winter, they arrive and drive over it a few times with bulldozers and about 200 trucks. The water stops flowing...but it must be a coincidence. Now I have to take a full day off to drive up there and show some lady in the finance office what is wrong with the water line. I talked to her on the phone today and she has the "us against them" attitude of most Forest service employees. I'm sure a gal from Finance will understand the workings of an underground gravity flow water system. They just picked her to tell me no. You see how gullible I am? While they are there in my pasture they have to pacify me and promise me they are going to fix the water line and reseed the area. Now they are about moved out, they don't need me anymore so they wave good bye and holler screw you as they drive away laughing.

Thursday, April 11, 2002
We loaded up the truck about 9 am this morning, slick and easy. Lyndsey and the guys followed the truck up top and then moved the cattle out to June tank. Of course there was a calf left behind, momma was too upset by the trip to remember her kid. Hopefully she will come back to the corrals looking for it in the morning. They then went and did a big loop checking water. Nedra, Elladeane, T Bar all had pretty good water. They had a long day, finally getting home about 9 pm. After loading the truck John and Frank went to the farm and did a little tractor work that our irrigator Jorge needed done to get the water flowing right. We also had some mustard coming into a field that was newly planted, they mowed it down close to the ground so it can't go to seed. Hopefully that will take care of it and we won't have to spray it later. I went up top to meet with the Forest Service people. I had a couple cows and a big bull in the trailer. On the way up a tire blew so loud it was like a gun shot. It blew the tire all to heck.
I finally got there and met the gal, she warmed up after a few minutes and then we met with a couple other guys. I showed them the spring, and we went to the storage tank and let them hear that there was no water flowing in. Well, at least they gave me the paper work to file a claim. They will probably just reject it later. A fine, fine day. Hi 77, low 45.

Friday, April 12, 2002
A really good day that saw a lot of work done. We hauled up to Roberts Park taking three trucks and trailers. Lyndsey, Marty and Stefen loaded up some salt on the packhorse and headed to Chub tank. They dropped that off and started looking for cattle to work back to the Park. Meanwhile, John, Frank and I sorted through the cattle that were already waiting for us at the Park tank. We quickly filled our trailers and headed down the mountain, dropping them off at John's field. Then back up we went and got there just as Lyndsey was getting in with a couple dozen. We sorted those and loaded trailers again and headed back down. While we were gone Lyndsey pushed some Rockin Arrow cattle over into Cabin pasture and then went hunting N- cattle there to push back to the Park. The great separation is under way.
After dropping off the cattle we went back up again and picked up Lyndsey and horses and a few head of big calves IÕ'm gonna sell next week. A whole lot of back and forth and up and down but we have a full semi load now in John's pasture ready for a truck on Monday. These green Dutch cowboys sure caught on fast and were a lot of help during a time when we really need the extra hands. We hope to see them back. All of us but Maggie maybe, she lost some serious money to these guys at the poker table.

April 14 - 20, 2002: Spring Works

Tuesday, April 16, 2002
This morning Frank and the Michigan girls headed up to the upper ranch to spread out the cattle we are shipping up. They are roughing it, there is no water running. It's still freezing at night and don't want to risk the broken pipes.
The rest of us worked around the Ghost Ranch gathering, sorting and hauling cattle to the corrals. loading two trucks and getting them out. It's busy around here that's for sure. The wind has been gusting pretty good, making the corrals a miserable place to be with the wind driven dust.
We hauled a cow to the corrals that was close to calving. Our plan was we would wait and ship her after she calved. We dropped her off and went back for another load. When we got back she had a new calf. I guess the washboard roads just shook the calf right out. But later we realized the calf was blind. Eyes just as blue as the New Mexico sky.

Wednesday, April 17, 2002
A busy day down here. I was up and out early meeting John at his house then trailering out to the Ghost Ranch. We were in the saddle by 7am. We needed to find 8 more head to fill out the load for the truck that was coming at 10am. John and I split up, he went north toward Sunflower Mesa, I went to Vigil spring. It was a beautiful morning. The crisp clear morning light shafting low through the hills, a strong young horse under me eager to cover some ground. Dakota set into a smooth jog and we were at the spring by 8am. I was sure I would have easy pickings there. But of course there was not a cow around. Frustrated I settled on some fresh tracks headed into Buchannon canyon. A rough mile in I came on five pairs of fat energetic cattle. Dakota worked great getting around them and moving them down the canyon. Now the canyon floor is just a dry river bed filled with rocks piled on rocks and choked with brush and oak trees. We smashed our way through on trails that were cows high. Finally coming out just a half mile from the Ghost Ranch. I penned and loaded them, then John and I hauled them down the to corrals at the River.
On the way we met up with Lyndsey and the crew who were headed out to Fox tank to gather around there. We told Lyndsey we would met up with her after we loaded the truck. She seemed doubtful that we would. The truck loading went easy but we didn't rush right out. Maggie came and met us at the corrals bringing a good lunch along. I was hungry after leaving the house with no breakfast before daylight. Finally we dragged ourselves back to work and headed out. For the first time we used two way radios today. I was pretty impressed. It reached over the mountain a distance of 2 hours horseback. Lyndsey and I touched base every half hour while John and I went a way he hadn't been since he was in his twenties...a pretty dang long time. It was a tough, steep, rough trail over Vigil Mountain. But it saved over an hour of riding. We caught up with the crew and the cattle just above Vigil tank.
Lyndsey seemed confused when I had told her over the radio that we were going to go down the steep canyon into Vigil Tank so I told her just to hold the cattle till we got there. They had about 50 head, most were Rockin Arrow cattle and most looked terrible. We started to push the cattle after we cut a few back. Lyndsey came up to me and asked where we were going, I told her Vigil tank. She said well that's the other direction, I told her it was right in front of us. For 2 and a half years she had been calling Corner tank Vigil tank and never knew the real Vigil was where it was. I had sent her dozens of times to check Vigil tank, she'd come back and tell me it was fine. I always wondered why it took her so long to get there. She was riding 4 miles too far to Corner tank.
We pushed the cattle a few hours, down into the canyon, back up and out the other steep side. We finally left them to drift a mile above the spring. The babies were pooped and the mommas were grumpy. We got a lot of cattle in but most were not mine. I wonder where a couple hundred are? I hope just scattered well and rustling up some grub.

Thursday, April 18, 2002
This morning Gary and Carolyn headed up to the upper ranch with Frank. The Michigan girls got home late last night, pretty tired but being really happy that they had made the trip. The rest of us headed out to the Ghost Ranch and started picking up cattle around there. Some were ones we had pushed the day before and some came in on their own hearing all the other cattle. We penned and sorted most of the morning and then mid afternoon started branding. We were only branding Rockin Arrow cattle so they were small and easy to do. It does make it easy when they only weigh 80 lbs, but it sure is hard on them.
Frank reported another cow dead up top, that's two up there in as many days. Down here now they have a dead cow at every tank. I think we will forget the names of the tanks and just refer to them by the color of the dead cow. I know of 24 they have lost since November. I have decided Marinel is crazy. I am having a real problem keeping my cool. My biggest problem is her horses. She has 8 at the Ghost Ranch, they have been there all winter and are a pitiful sight, skin and bones. Last week she said she was going to move them up on the mountain because they were eating the fences faster than Fred could build them. I told her she should feed them something and that moving them up top would not be a good thing. She asked why and I told her that it's still cold as hell up there at night and that there are a lot of people who will see them on the way to the Lake and she will have some public relations problems if not a lawsuit. She seemed shocked and said her horses looked fine. I disagreed and pointed out a near dead 2 year old and told her that horse was not fine. She is so ignorant, she told me he was just 2 and that was how all 2 year olds looked. Now don't forget this women is a veterinarian! I am seriously considering calling the brand inspector. How she ever got through vet school I have no idea. I really can't believe she did. I think she scammed a certificate.
The wind really blew today which was great till we got in the corrals to br ˆand and the dust was thick and choking. Hi about 75 low of 40.

Friday, April 19, 2002
Heard from Frank. They had spent the day up top digging a Rockin Arrow cow out of mud around Snow Lake. It had wandered in for a drink and was too weak to get out. It died.
The rest of us headed over to gather more cattle. Lyndsey took Brenda, Kay, and Laurel back up toward Fox and Vigil tanks working down from there. They were at it all day gathering up about 25 Rockin Arrow cattle. John, Jeanne, and Cindy went up the side of Vigil mountain. to Pan tank way up on top. They came up with nothing and busted brush all day finally meeting up with Lyndsey's group down on Vigil mesa about 4 pm. They pushed all the way to the spring and left the cattle there to rest up.
I had to go to the farm in the morning so I was on my own when I got back. Doc and I headed out to work the canyon waters and pick up what we could. Doc walked on out to work smooth and happy to be going. We found cattle at the first water about a mile above the Ghost Ranch, four pairs. I put Doc on them and he went crazy. He wanted to be right on top of them and these were not the type of cattle you could be close to. They were fresh and trotty so I had to stay back or they would scatter into the trees. Doc couldn't understand this and got more and more wound up. He hadn't really worked in a week or so and we had a drastic diet change a day before. We had run out of grass hay and had switched over to alfalfa and also had increased the grain ration. He became a grain and alfalfa fueled maniac. Chomping on the bit like a dog on a T bone, rearing, hooves churning a mile a second and spinning. All this in a rock filled streambed in the canyon bottom hung thick with trees and branches. He bucked more in that hour than I've been in the last five years. But every thing he does is smooth and light. He wasn't trying to throw me. He just wanted to be on those cows. I worked the cattle down as well as I could which I guess was good enough because we finally got them in the corral. As soon as that gate shut behind them Doc stopped all his stupid stuff and relaxed.
We headed back out and he just walked out as nice as could be. Got to the spring and there were some cattle there and he got warmed up again. We eased around and got two Rockin Arrow cattle out of a bunch of mine. He worked like a dream. Headed those two pair home and it was the same thing all over again. I was sure he would breaking a leg spinning and bucking among all those rocks. I don't just mean little stream bed potato size rocks. It's cobbled in melon to wheel barrow size rocks. He was just out of control in there. At one point he covered 50 yards at a buck and how he stayed on his feet I'll never know. He's athletic and well balanced, he sure proved that. Well, we finally got them in the pen and just like before he settled right down. We headed out for another loop and he was as sweet as could be. I wondered if it was some kind of bad go home gear he was developing so a mile or so out I turned him around towards home. He resisted heading home. 'Õm sure he wanted more cows. But he was willing to saunter on back at a nice walk. I turned him back to work, went up on Sunflower and along the way saw two pairs way down in Buzzard canyon below me. It was a steep trip down the canyon wall into the brush filled bottom but Doc took it gracefully and gently. We got to the bottom and he saw the cattle. It was Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde again as he went weird. I guess he just needs a lot of time working alone; keep him in the corrals cutting and he's fine. He sure frazzled me though.
It's been a good week as far as getting a lot of work done in a couple different places. Everyone who wanted to got a chance to ride both the upper and lower ranches. The temps are cooling off it seems, hi was 70 low was 38.

April 21 - 27, 2002: Posse Week

For months now this paper has been reporting the deeds of the Frisco River Gang, as well as reporting our attempts to get help from the Territorial Capital.
It seems finally they have heard our pleas and help has arrived once again in the form of New Mexico Rangers.

It has been too long a winter putting up with Fearless Frank and the Frisco Gang. The rustling, robbery, murder has gone on unchecked.

Plenty of information has been gathered from the Alma area and passed along to the Rangers. This reporter conversed with Loco Lyndsey Hobson, now a Lt. in the Rangers. She is apparently heard of this years campaign. She explained that the bunch Fearless is riding with this year is the worst yet. It seems they are a bunch of Yankees gone really bad. Two from the Bay state, both being famously run out for every crime known to the human race. "Mad Man McCormick" And "Faster Than Dead Ed". Just the sight of them you know they are the cause of misery.

Right there in the middle of the trouble are two young ladies (and we use the term loosely). "Shootin' Shannon" and "Killer Kelly". Both hail from the state of Brotherly Love. But Brother let me tell ya you don't want their kind of love or attention. They are both known killers and as mean as a horse stepped rattler.

Lt.Hobson stated that things were going to be different this year than in the past. She had some plans and some ideas for fearless Frank that would probably upset him a mite. She has along with her the Ohio Imlers, both now Sgts. in the Rangers. They are healed up and ready to have another round with Fearless. We all remember well "Rowdy Russ" and his valiant one man stand less than a year ago. And as always "Anything Goes Andrea" is ready to go.

The Imlers brought along a friend. "Quiet Craig" When asked of his experience the phrase "Killing Machine" came to Rowdy's lips. A good enough reference for us.

Long time East Coast peace keeper "Gentleman Jim" Dieli has headed west and found a place for himself among the Rangers. A lifetime of dealing with killers and crooks has taught him a few tricks no real gentleman would use and we are sure some will be a surprise to the Frisco gang.

April 28 - May 4, 2002: Spring Works

Monday, April 29, through Wednesday May 1, 2002
The Forest Service wanted to meet with us about her cows. She blamed me with all kinds of reasons, the most being I didn't tell her to do this and I didn't tell her to do that. I told her I was not running her business, I was having enough problems with my own. Well the Forest Service agreed her cattle were a problem and that she couldn't bring anymore up on the mountain till these were in better shape. She asked what she could do with the remaining ones down below. They told her to get them on private land and feed them. She said it was too expensive. The cattle that died over the week would have more than paid for hay. They suggested she sell some. She refused saying she would never sell a cow. What a whacko. I told the Forest Service I didn't want to continue our arrangement, which puts me with no winter range and probably selling out in the fall. But it was the right thing to do. I can't handle her and the way she treats her livestock. I just want nothing to do with it.
Anyway I was up top all week while the crew was down below riding, gathering, and shipping cattle up here. I worked on all sorts of stuff. Most of the time spent in the shower house. The usual rite of spring, fixing broken pipes. No matter how I try to drain them in the fall something always breaks. Fixed some fence, made a gate, cleaned the cook house and our house, that pretty much ate up the week. I had only been up here twice since Christmas. It was really good to get back. Seeing my dogs was the best part. Things are greening up, elk are living in the horse pasture eating all the fresh grass coming in around the pond.
The crew down here rode with Lyndsey and John, Frank spent the first few days of the week at the farm cutting a couple fields. The frost two weeks ago burned all the alfalfa, not really what we needed, so you have to cut the frosted tops off to get it back growing again. The crew gathered a lot of different areas of the ranch, one day a long trip out to Fox tank and push all the way back to Vigil Spring. A couple shorter days working around the Ghost Ranch and spring area pushing and trucking them down to the river. They sent two semi loads up to me which I put on the water lot till Thursday.

Thursday, May 2, through Saturday, May 4, 2002
Lyndsey brought Ken, Gaia, Joe and Mark up to help push the two semi loads of cattle out to Dog Spring. They got up early in the afternoon, but before we did any moving I wanted to get some cows that had bad horns and a big bull calf worked and branded. They headed out into the lot and worked those cattle in while I got the equipment together. The whole time my mount was hollering as they rode out to get the cows. He wanted to go. In not too much time they were all set having everything cut and sorted and I was all set with the irons and such. We were running them through the chute. We had a new tool.. Walter from Maryland, who has been out many times and seen more than one dehorning, had bought us a battery operated SAWZALL to replace our old slow tiring hand saw. Well, we got the first cow in the chute and that little baby just zipped right through. We had some problems with a gas fired brand heater I rigged up. Due to the fire danger and high winds I didn't want to chance a real fire. But the rig was slow and it took a long time to heat irons. One cow done then the bull calf came in and Lyndsey cut it as I branded. Then A couple fast charging cows slipped through the chute before I could catch them. The lever to close the head gate is set to work with my left arm. That's the one I broke two years ago and just don't have the strength I need. So we had to re-gather them a couple times but finally got it done.
It was getting late and we still had to move the cattle out. I drove up to the corral to get my ride, Lyndsey came along to hit the outhouse. He was pretty ready to go by the time I got there having been left out of all the fun. I swung on and found my cinch loose and stepped off pulling a couple inches out of it. Shoulda' done that first. Swinging back on the world became a blur. That son of a buck cut loose and did it with a vengeance! Just flat out stomped and spun. A half dozen good bucks and he felt me out over his shoulder, he backed out from under me, heaving me up on his neck and over the saddle horn. I was way gone by that time and he knew it. He turned back and spun the other way rotating me around so now my other side was on the horn. That's when he reared back till the momentum had me almost back right and getting better when suddenly he dropped his shoulder and headed to the ground, just body slamming me into it. Right there in front of the corral where the trucks run and a dozen horses stamp by every day. That ground is hard! I rose to my hands and knees trying to get a breath. Ummmm damn it hurt to breath, I've been here a few times and knew ribs were busted on both sides. I became aware of a feeling in my right arm, a very familiar feeling. About this time Lyndsey sees me on her way back from the outhouse. "You all right," she hollered?. "No.....I broke my damn arm!" She helped me up and set me against a fence while she unsaddled my ride.
Who was I riding? Who did this terrible beating to me? You ask. I'll tell ya it was a beating no horse could dish out. So that just leaves one other choice. Yep you got it, Ben! Ben the wonder Mule. Ben, who I have swung on a thousand times. Ben, who I've ridden a couple thousand miles, Ben! Well that kinda' put an end to the plans for the rest of the day, it was getting late anyway. My arm hurt but the ribs were worse, leaving me sleepless all night. The next morning Lyndsey and her crew moved the cattle out to Dog Spring. Maggie was in Albuquerque with some of her Texas girl friends so I drove myself to Silver City. The washboard roads were not a whole lot of fun. The usual hospital ordeal. Five hours later I was headed home with a cast to my shoulder and bundled up ribs. I had broken one and cracked five others on both sides. So there is not a side I can rest on. The crew was great this week, we got a lot of work done and even more to go.