Slow Going

One day 5 of us young guys rode out to the foothills of Black Rock Mountain to chase mustangs. On the way we roped some wild jackasses and done a little rodeo-ing. Couldn't ride 'em very well without getting a tail hold. They didn't jump crooked but could do a good head stand that'd put a feller off onto the ground. With our legs clamped tight around their body and a firm tail hold you could stay on pretty good. At noontime we watered up at Indian Water Pockets. Just beyond there about a mile a little bunch of horses out ran us down across the deep rock gorge that drains the Little Wolf country to the south. We gave them a hard run but none of us was on fast horses. Ben was riding a big part draft horse, Mally's ridin an old sway back gelding, Pete's horse is a stiff necked bay that belonged to his Dad, Eldon's mounted on a sorrel 2 year filly that wasn't overly fat, and I was astride my little black horse, Cheeko, He's the best one of the bunch.

The sun's laying low above the west mountain ridges and some of the boys is suffering from belly pains due to lack of grub since early morning, so Ben, Mally and Pete take out to the northeast where they's a wishing their feet was under the supper table. Eldons filly is acting mighty tired and done in, so I stay back with him. I don't want to leave him here alone on a give out horse. We mosey by the Indian Water Pocket again and get us a drink. Can't water the horses though cause it's just a deep small hole in the rock. Eldon climbs on back of me and we ride double leading his filly along on a slow walk.

The sun goes down and pretty soon it gets dark. The filly stops. She won't lead any more, so we get off and lay down on the ground. Cheeko, he grazes around on the bunch grass, no need to worry about him leaving us. The filly just stands in one spot resting, too tired to eat. We can hear some coyotes up the draw a ways a yapping and howling their night time song. Don't take long for me to go to sleep. When I wake up I shake Eldon and we get on Cheeko who is nearby and lead that filly for another two or three miles till she stopped again. We been poking along at a slow walk and now I'm really sleepy. The night time temperature is just right for sleeping. We slide off and go to sleep about as soon as we hit the ground. That good earth feels mighty soft to us. Don't matter if there's a few small boulders underneath. Coyotes serenading up the flat wake me again. The stars in the sky are hanging mighty low and big. Seems like they are trying to make this night especially friendly and memorable. This is just a star night, no moon, but them stars light up our way plenty good to see where to go. We're just cutting across country, not following a trail. We mount up and travel on toward the northeast another couple of miles or so. Cheeko shys off to the side a little, his attention focused on the top of a bush. We can hear the soft whirring sound of a sidewinder rattlesnake that has crawled up into the top. Don't have to worry much about snakes though, they usually get out of the way.

She stops again and we slide off to enjoy another hour of restful sleep. In this method of travel we continue throughout the night and by the time the sun peaks over the eastern ridge we are crossing the Virgin River just south of Grandpa's farm at Bloomington, by now anticipating Grandma's good cooking helps us hurry along as fast as the filly will go. Grandma's always glad to see her grand kids show up and the first thing she wants to do is feed us, which we don't object to at all. She says "'t ain't much, but you're welcome to sech as `t tis,"