Abandoned - Red River Valley - Story 99

[Abandoned]

Chapter 18


  Over the winter I learned a lot about cooking from Tressica; we now took turns making the Sunday family dinners.  Everyone loved the turkey, Phill and Tress especially liked the pumpkin pie, their 3 children and Rock loved the cookies I made.  I also learned a lot about ranch chores, and in spring, I learned how to ride a horse.  After the cattle were left out to graze, I rode out on the prairie with Rock to check that all was well.  By mid-summer there were several new calves; we found one that had been rejected by its mother; we took it back to the pasture to be cared for, it cried all the way.



  Most of the cattle did not go far from the ranch but others did.  A few were as far away as Phil and Trssica's place.  Not far from there we found one of the watering holes had been contaminated, the remains of one of the cows lay in the water.  The vultures were in the trees.  Rock wondered if the water was bad that made the cow sick, or if a sick cow died there and made the water bad.  I wondered if it was the little calf's mother.   Rock roped off the area to keep the cows and buffalo away, and he came back a few days later with a warning sign so no one would remove the ropes.





  The pasture was filling up and more feed was being put out.  Soon it would be round-up time; older calves, and cows with young ones, would be brought in from the prairie and kept in the pasture; the others would go to market.  The cowboys would be arriving soon.

[Abandoned]

Chapter 19




  It was early autumn when the cowboys began to arrive; some came from nearby, others came from farther away.  An area was roped off and food and water put out for their horses.  The spit was fired up and meals were served by the picnic tables for them.



The men would spend the day rounding up the calves on the prairie and spend the night in the bunkhouse on the ranch until the cattle drive began.  There would be room for 4 families but the cowboys came alone so there would be plenty of room for all.  As a rule, women did not work the round-ups or go on the cattle drives, but I was the ranch owner's wife, and Rock mentioned a time or 2 that he'd like me to go along and see what it was all about.  We would take a wagon.  I could help Garvid with the chuck wagon duties if I wanted to.  Phil would be going, and both he and Tressica said I should go.  I said I would go.

  The round-up of the calves was completed and the round-up of the cattle had begun.  It would be only a day or two before the cattle drive would begin.



The chuck wagon was all ready to go; Garvid loaded it with all the usual supplies plus meat, potatoes, and carrots, at my request.  He brought it up alongside the house.  I would be driving the buckboard, although Rock still had misgiving.  He put a cover on the it and brought it around to the front of the house.  He put one of the bearskin rugs on the floor and fixed a comfy area for sleeping.  The crates of needed things we packed together were also already on the wagon.  I said "what's this" pointing at the rocking chair he brought out to the wagon.  He said a comfort of home I would welcome at the end of a day on the trail; he told me to go get the patchwork quilt.  He pointed to the crates, barrel, and sack I had sitting there waiting for Garvid to find room for, and asked "what are those?"  I said the barrel was full of apples and the sack was extra flour, one crate was full of bread and the other with the cookies he liked; I spent 2 days baking while someone was out riding.  He laughed at that and said, "okay then, let's get it all loaded and get these wagons rolling."

[Glenn]

Keep rollin', rollin', rollin'
Though the streams are swollen
Keep them dogies rollin' rawhide

A 1960s classic television series staring Clint Eastwood - I'm sure he would like this story

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSpjznGNkO0

enjoy 

It might keep the vultures out of your backyard

[Abandoned]

  @Glenn  You read my mind again.  Those dogies will be rollin' in tomorrow's chapter   

There were a lot of good old American Westerns on TV back then.  Meanwhile back at the ranch  I'm glad our WOB site is back up again. 

[Abandoned]

Chapter 20


  I followed the chuck wagon and stayed off to the left side so Garvid could easily see me.  I was to wave if there was any problem that we needed to stop for, no stopping unless it was really important.  It was important that we stay off to the side but towards the front of the herd.  We do not get in front of the herd and we do not get between the herd and the water.  We will have a river to cross later.



  The herd was grouped together and waiting for us a short way from the ranch.  Rock and Phill were at the front of the herd and there were cowboys at the back, and on the sides.  Rock came riding back and rode alongside the wagon for a few minutes until the wagons got in place. He asked if everything was alright.  When I nodded yes, he rode off, waved his hat at Phil who moved off to the side, then he yelled to the men to "move em out." 



  Yes, weary traveler, it was an exciting day but the herd was moving slowly.  The point riders, Phill and Rock, stayed in place near the front of the herd but the swing riders and flankers at the sides often had to go after a cow that strayed or one the roundup had missed; Rock assigned extra riders on the side by the wagons.  Drag riders at the rear of the herd kept the laggers from falling behind.  The herd kicked up a bit of dust and the midday prairie sun got a bit too warm, but the cowboys kept those doggies moving.


  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVdvUdgi92E   

[Glenn]

Now that was a much better clip than the one I found 

[Abandoned]

  well at least yours didn't have some poor guy getting trampled by wild horses at the end

[Abandoned]

Chapter 21


  Because of the time it took to get grouped together and get moving, we did not travel very far that first day.  When Garvid saw the watering holes to the right, he motioned for us to go ahead and to the left.  We would set up camp while the cowboys got the cattle to the watering holes.  Half the men would eat and sleep while the other half kept watch on the cattle.





   It had been a tiring day even just driving the wagon, but there was no time to rest; there were hungry men to feed.  First thing Garvid did was rope of a grazing area for the horses; he got the water barrel out of the chuck wagon and gave some to our horses.  The water in the barrel would have to last until we got to the river, we would not use watering hole water for cooking or drinking.  The cattle and the cowboy's horses would get water there.  The first thing I did was gather firewood for my cookfire and get out my big pot.  I cut the beef into small thin pieces that would cook quickly in a kettle of water, I added potatoes and carrots that were cut the same way.  I quickly gathered the nearby roots, onions, and herbs and added them to the pot.  A little flour would thicken the broth into a hardy gravy to sop up with a crust of bread.





  With the horses cared for, Garvid got provisions out of the wagon and made 2 tables for me with crates and boards.  He asked if there was anything I need help with, I said no I had the cooking under control.  Next, he set up some trail tents, hitching posts for saddles, and got a campfire going.  He found a couple of logs to place around the fire for sitting on .  Rock came for a few minutes to check how things were going; he took my rocking chair out of the wagon and told me to take a little break.





  The first few cowboys arrived, took care of their horses, then rested around the fire or in a tent.  They tipped their hats and said "howdy, mam" or "somethin smells mighty good" as they went by. The cowboys still out with the cattle must be tired and hungry too, I thought, as I dished out bowls of stew and put out loaves of bread and called "come and get it."  That started the only stampede of the cattle drive.  After eating his bowl of stew, Garvid said you can bet we'll have these same cowboys coming back next year.  Rock who just returned for his bowl, took a bite, and agreed.

[Abandoned]

Chapter 22


  I sat a moment in my rocking chair with my quilt wrapped around me; the autumn nights were chilly; all was still, I never saw so many stars.  Garvid said he would dish out the food for the rest of the cowboys and then do the cleanup if I wanted to get some sleep.  Rock said that was a good idea, he was ready for some sleep too.  It would be another early morning and hard day ahead, there was a lot of territory to cover.  I fell asleep to someone playing a harmonica by the campfire.

  Garvid was already up and had wild oats cooking in the pot.  The pot, bowls, and a few crates were the only things not already packed away.  I gave out cookies and apples for the cowboys to take on the trail with them.  They were happy not to be getting 3 meals of beans a day.  Garvid went to take a nap while I did the cleanup, and Rock put my rocker and cookie crate in our wagon before getting back to the herd.  It was time to move em out.





  It was a rougher day's ride.  The cows moved at a faster pace and kicked up a lot of dust.   I was glad not to be riding behind them.  Rock stopped the herd at midday to rest the horses at one of the many watering holes in the area; we were in the lowlands that flooded many times in the past, as far back as the beginning of Smallville Time.  We'd be crossing the river tomorrow.  Garvid and I rested our horses only a short time; only long enough to hand out more apples, cookies, and dried buffalo strips we got from the natives the last time we took tools to trade with them.  The rest stop gave Garvid and I time to get ahead and set up camp.  It began to rain.

[Abandoned]

Chapter 23





  By the time the cowboys got the herd to the watering hole closest to the river, Garvid and I had the camp all set up.  We followed the same routine we did before; he took care of the horses, unloaded supplies, and set up the campfire and tents, I took care of the cook fire and food.  The only difference was today, because it was raining, he put canvas covers over the food tables and the campfire.  The logs to sit on were closer to the fire and the cowboys came in small groups to sit by the fire to eat and warm up.  They said at least the rain settled the dust.





  It had been a miserable cool damp autumn day but it finally stopped raining early in the evening; the sun came out just in time to set in the west.  Some of the cowboys were already bedded down in the tents to sleep.  One of the cowboys got his guitar out of the back of the chuck wagon and began to play.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-7JehCvbiI 

[Abandoned]

Chapter 24


  It would be a rough morning getting the cattle across the river.  The rain yesterday would make it more difficult; the banks would be muddy and slippery.  Rock and I would cross over together on his horse; our wagon and the chuck wagon would remain where they were, packed and ready to go back home when the work was done.  One of the cowboys already crossed the river and was headed upstream.  As you know, weary traveler, the wagon train from Outskirts travels along this river headed for Skyview, Respite, and the Missions down south.  The cowboy would meet up with any wagon train that was coming this way and he would tell the wagon master to halt the wagons until the cattle were all across the river and it was safe to proceed. 







The cowboys were eager to get the cattle across the river; it was the end of the trail; the train was waiting in cow town to take the cows to the markets in the east.  For the cowboys cow town meant a shave, haircut, bath, and room for the night before a trip home.  Cow town wasn't really a town, it was just a place where ranchers took their cattle to the train.  This one got its start when the railroad tunnels from Central City broke through the mountain.  The train that would come here has a coal engine so a coal mine was dug into the mountain and a coal bin was built along the tracks that were being laid.  A shipping office and worker houses were built as well as a livery stable and, first one and then another, Watering Hole saloon where the hot baths and rooms waited for the cowboys.  So, let's get those doggies movin.

[Glenn]

Ah, the wind, the rain, swollen rivers to cross and men a long way from home.

A melancholy adventure for people whose time has come to return the way they have come.

Such is life.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByqYEzugleE

Enjoy the journey weary traveller. 

[Abandoned]

  wow, good song    I haven't heard that one in a long time.  Thanks @Glenn

[Glenn]

You're welcome 

There are other versions of this song which is from "Paint Your Wagon", but none of them have the emotional impact on the listener that that this one does.

It is a beautiful song, and once heard it will never leave you. 

[Abandoned]

Chapter 25






  I was impressed by how the cowboys worked together to get the first group of cows across the river with the second group ready to cross when the water was clear of other cows.  The cowboys positioned themselves in the river during the crossing so no cow would be tempted to break from the herd to go upstream or down.  That stretch of water was not as deep as most of the river but some of the cows struggled to cross and to get up the riverbank on the other side, that indeed was getting muddy and slippery. There was a lot of mooing and yelling.  The first cowboys across positioned themselves in such a way that the cows were headed in the direction of the fenced path that led to the waiting train.  There was a wide gate in the fence by the river that, when opened, would allow the wagon train to continue its journey to Skyview.








    After Rock and I crossed the river and watched the proceedings for a while, I remarked how impressed I was and Rock said we had a good group of men, they knew what they were doing.  We had stayed on the other side of the river until the cattle were on the move, then we went upstream to the point to cross.  The river was fast and deeper there at the riverbend, Rock's horse was doing more swimming than walking, the currant carried us a little bit further downstream.  I held on tighter and Rock, sensing my fear, told me not to worry; his horse knew what he was doing too.