This story is from James Greet, written in 1991 about his life as a cowboy in the 1940’s.
(continued from last week)
When this task was completed, it was time to think about starting home with the saddle horses. Because I was young and single, the job naturally fell to me. It would take about twelve hours or more.
At this point, I’d like to say that this would be the last leg of my forty one hours in the saddle – a record that I was rather proud of. A man would need a change of mounts and also some good horse sense on making a long ride such as this.
It was eleven o’clock when I grabbed a bite to eat at camp and was ready to start. This is where the spare horse fits in very nicely. This horse was “Old Tully” and was kept at the home corral for a “jingle horse”. “Old Tully” was very gentle for women and kids to ride. He was slow and easy going and had the Henry Tully brand “two lazy two” on the hip. No one had used him so far on this trip, so it was now his turn to earn his oats.
Talk about the surprise of my life, this was it! I turned the saddle horses loose and fell in behind them. “Old Tully” was so homesick and glad to be heading home that he was stepping high and right up on the bit every step of the way. If you would have seen him, you would have taken him for a “hot blood”.
I rode him up over Cottonwood Pass and on to Bate’s Creek. I arrived there a little before sunset. As prearranged, the “chuck truck” had left a feed of oats on the ground here for each horse. I selected my next mount, and let the horses finish their oats and rest for about an hour. They fared better than I did, because I didn’t have any lunch. But I really didn’t mind, a cowboy never carried a lunch.
Darkness soon overtook me, and there was no moon, so all I had was starlight. It was a beautiful night and I enjoyed it. I had the jingle of my spurs and the clip clop of the horses’ feet on the road as we traveled along. After all, “who can number the stars and also wonder at the beauty of the Pleiades and Orion”? And there was the Big Dipper and the North Star.
Find me here!
There’s something very interesting in each paragraph and phase of his
journey – and especially his ponderings at night.
What a life James led. So optimistic and content. Am I remembering right – James was Johnny’s brother?
Enjoying the stories!
What a life!! What is a “ Jingle Horse” never heard that expression before?