The Log of a Cowboy: A Narrative of the Old Trail Days

  CHAPTER XVII

  OGALALLA

  From the head of Stinking Water to the South Platte was a waterlessstretch of forty miles. But by watering the herd about the middle ofone forenoon, after grazing, we could get to water again the followingevening. With the exception of the meeting with Nat Straw, the drivewas featureless, but the night that Nat stayed with us, he regaled uswith his experiences, in which he was as lucky as ever. Where we hadlost three days on the Canadian with bogged cattle, he had crossed itwithin fifteen minutes after reaching it. His herd was sold beforereaching Dodge, so that he lost no time there, and on reachingSlaughter's bridge, he was only two days behind our herd. His cattlewere then en route for delivery on the Crazy Woman in Wyoming, and, ashe put it, "any herd was liable to travel faster when it had a newowner."

  Flood had heard from our employer at Culbertson, learning that hewould not meet us at Ogalalla, as his last herd was due in Dodge aboutthat time. My brother Bob's herd had crossed the Arkansaw a weekbehind us, and was then possibly a hundred and fifty miles in ourrear.

  We all regretted not being able to see old man Don, for he believedthat nothing was too good for his men, and we all remembered the goodtime he had shown us in Dodge. The smoke of passing trains hung forhours in signal clouds in our front, during the afternoon of thesecond day's dry drive, but we finally scaled the last divide, andthere, below us in the valley of the South Platte, nestled Ogalalla,the Gomorrah of the cattle trail. From amongst its half hundredbuildings, no church spire pointed upward, but instead three fourthsof its business houses were dance halls, gambling houses, and saloons.We all knew the town by reputation, while the larger part of ouroutfit had been in it before. It was there that Joel Collins and hisoutfit rendezvoused when they robbed the Union Pacific train inOctober, '77. Collins had driven a herd of cattle for his father andbrother, and after selling them in the Black Hills, gambled away theproceeds. Some five or six of his outfit returned to Ogalalla withhim, and being moneyless, concluded to recoup their losses at theexpense of the railway company. Going eighteen miles up the river toBig Springs, seven of them robbed the express and passengers, theformer yielding sixty thousand dollars in gold. The next morning theywere in Ogalalla, paying debts, and getting their horses shod. InCollins's outfit was Sam Bass, and under his leadership, until he methis death the following spring at the hands of Texas Rangers, thecourse of the outfit southward was marked by a series of daring bankand train robberies.

  We reached the river late that evening, and after watering, grazeduntil dark and camped for the night. But it was not to be a night ofrest and sleep, for the lights were twinkling across the river intown; and cook, horse wrangler, and all, with the exception of thefirst guard, rode across the river after the herd had been bedded.Flood had quit us while we were watering the herd and gone in ahead toget a draft cashed, for he was as moneyless as the rest of us. But hisletter of credit was good anywhere on the trail where money was to behad, and on reaching town, he took us into a general outfitting storeand paid us twenty-five dollars apiece. After warning us to be on handat the wagon to stand our watches, he left us, and we scattered likelost sheep. Officer and I paid our loans to The Rebel, and the threeof us wandered around for several hours in company with Nat Straw.When we were in Dodge, my bunkie had shown no inclination to gamble,but now he was the first one to suggest that we make up a "cow," andlet him try his luck at monte. Straw and Officer were both willing,and though in rags, I willingly consented and contributed my five tothe general fund.

  Every gambling house ran from two to three monte layouts, as it was afavorite game of cowmen, especially when they were from the farsouthern country. Priest soon found a game to his liking, and afterwatching his play through several deals, Officer and I left him withthe understanding that he would start for camp promptly at midnight.There was much to be seen, though it was a small place, for the endsof the earth's iniquity had gathered in Ogalalla. We wandered throughthe various gambling houses, drinking moderately, meeting anoccasional acquaintance from Texas, and in the course of our roundslanded in the Dew-Drop-In dance hall. Here might be seen the frailtyof women in every grade and condition. From girls in their teens,launching out on a life of shame, to the adventuress who had once hadyouth and beauty in her favor, but was now discarded and ready for thefinal dose of opium and the coroner's verdict,--all were there intinsel and paint, practicing a careless exposure of their charms. In atown which has no night, the hours pass rapidly; and before we wereaware, midnight was upon us. Returning to the gambling house where wehad left Priest, we found him over a hundred dollars winner, and,calling his attention to the hour, persuaded him to cash in and joinus. We felt positively rich, as he counted out to each partner hisshare of the winnings! Straw was missing to receive his, but we knewhe could be found on the morrow, and after a round of drinks, weforded the river. As we rode along, my bunkie said,--"I'msuperstitious, and I can't help it. But I've felt for a day or so thatI was in luck, and I wanted you lads in with me if my warning wastrue. I never was afraid to go into battle but once, and just as wewere ordered into action, a shell killed my horse under me and I wasleft behind. I've had lots of such warnings, good and bad, and I'minfluenced by them. If we get off to-morrow, and I'm in the mood, I'llgo back there and make some monte bank look sick."

  We reached the wagon in good time to be called on our guard, and afterit was over secured a few hours' sleep before the foreman aroused usin the morning. With herds above and below us, we would either have tograze contrary to our course or cross the river. The South Platte wasa wide, sandy river with numerous channels, and as easily crossed asan alkali flat of equal width, so far as water was concerned. The sunwas not an hour high when we crossed, passing within two hundred yardsof the business section of the town, which lay under a hill. Thevalley on the north side of the river, and beyond the railroad, wasnot over half a mile wide, and as we angled across it, the town seemedas dead as those that slept in the graveyard on the first hill besidethe trail.

  Finding good grass about a mile farther on, we threw the herd off thetrail, and leaving orders to graze until noon, the foreman with thefirst and second guard returned to town. It was only about ten milesover to the North Platte, where water was certain; and in the hopethat we would be permitted to revisit the village during theafternoon, we who were on guard threw riders in the lead of thegrazing cattle, in order not to be too far away should permission begranted us. That was a long morning for us of the third and fourthguards, with nothing to do but let the cattle feed, while easy moneyitched in our pockets. Behind us lay Ogalalla--and our craft diddearly love to break the monotony of our work by getting into town.But by the middle of the forenoon, the wagon and saddle horsesovertook us, and ordering McCann into camp a scant mile in our lead,we allowed the cattle to lie down, they having grazed to contentment.Leaving two men on guard, the remainder of us rode in to the wagon,and lightened with an hour's sleep in its shade the time which hungheavy on our hands. We were aroused by our horse wrangler, who hadsighted a cavalcade down the trail, which, from the color of theirhorses, he knew to be our outfit returning. As they came nearer andtheir numbers could be made out, it was evident that our foreman wasnot with them, and our hopes rose. On coming up, they informed us thatwe were to have a half holiday, while they would take the herd over tothe North River during the afternoon. Then emergency orders rang outto Honeyman and McCann, and as soon as a change of mounts could besecured, our dinners bolted, and the herders relieved, we were readyto go. Two of the six who returned had shed their rags and swaggeredabout in new, cheap suits; the rest, although they had money, simplyhad not had the time to buy clothes in a place with so manyattractions.

  When the herders came in deft hands transferred their saddles towaiting mounts while they swallowed a hasty dinner, and we set out forOgalalla, happy as city urchins in an orchard. We were less than fivemiles from the burg, and struck a free gait in riding in, where wefound several hundred of our craft holding high jinks. A number ofherds had p
aid off their outfits and were sending them home, whilefrom the herds for sale, holding along the river, every man not on dayherd was paying his respects to the town. We had not been there fiveminutes when a horse race was run through the main street, Nat Strawand Jim Flood acting as judges on the outcome. The officers ofOgalalla were a different crowd from what we had encountered at Dodge,and everything went. The place suited us. Straw had entirely forgottenour "cow" of the night before, and when The Rebel handed him his shareof the winnings, he tucked it away in the watch pocket of his trouserswithout counting. But he had arranged a fiddling match between a darkycook of one of the returning outfits and a locoed white man, amendicant of the place, and invited us to be present. Straw knew theforeman of the outfit to which the darky belonged, and the two hadfixed it up to pit the two in a contest, under the pretense that alarge wager had been made on which was the better fiddler. The contestwas to take place at once in the corral of the Lone Star liverystable, and promised to be humorous if nothing more. So after the racewas over, the next number on the programme was the fiddling match, andwe followed the crowd. The Rebel had given us the slip during therace, though none of us cared, as we knew he was hungering for a montegame. It was a motley crowd which had gathered in the corral, and allseemed to know of the farce to be enacted, though the Texas outfit towhich the darky belonged were flashing their money on their duskycook, "as the best fiddler that ever crossed Red River with a cowherd."

  "Oh, I don't know that your man is such an Ole Bull as all that," saidNat Straw. "I just got a hundred posted which says he can't even playa decent second to my man. And if we can get a competent set of judgesto decide the contest, I'll wager a little more on the white againstthe black, though I know your man is a cracker-jack."

  A canvass of the crowd was made for judges, but as nearly every oneclaimed to be interested in the result, having made wagers, or wasincompetent to sit in judgment on a musical contest, there was somelittle delay. Finally, Joe Stallings went to Nat Straw and told himthat I was a fiddler, whereupon he instantly appointed me as judge,and the other side selected a redheaded fellow belonging to one ofDillard Fant's herds. Between the two of us we selected as the thirdjudge a bartender whom I had met the night before. The conditionsgoverning the contest were given us, and two chuck wagons were drawnup alongside each other, in one of which were seated the contestantsand in the other the judges. The gravity of the crowd was only brokenas some enthusiast cheered his favorite or defiantly offered to wageron the man of his choice. Numerous sham bets were being made, when theredheaded judge arose and announced the conditions, and urged thecrowd to remain quiet, that the contestants might have equal justice.Each fiddler selected his own piece. The first number was a waltz, onthe conclusion of which partisanship ran high, each faction cheeringits favorite to the echo. The second number was a jig, and as thedarky drew his bow several times across the strings tentatively, hisforeman, who stood six inches taller than any man in a crowd of tallmen, tapped himself on the breast with one forefinger, and with theother pointed at his dusky champion, saying, "Keep your eye on me,Price. We're going home together, remember. You black rascal, you canmake a mocking bird ashamed of itself if you try. You know I've sworeby you through thick and thin; now win this money. Pay no attention toany one else. Keep your eye on me."

  Straw, not to be outdone in encouragement, cheered his man withpromises of reward, and his faction of supporters raised such a dinthat Fant's man arose, and demanded quiet so the contest couldproceed. Though boisterous, the crowd was good-tempered, and after thesecond number was disposed of, the final test was announced, which wasto be in sacred music. On this announcement, the tall foreman wadedthrough the crowd, and drawing the darky to him, whispered somethingin his ear, and then fell back to his former position. The duskyartist's countenance brightened, and with a few preliminaries hestruck into "The Arkansaw Traveler," throwing so many contortions intoits execution that it seemed as if life and liberty depended on hisexertions. The usual applause greeted him on its conclusion, when NatStraw climbed up on the wagon wheel, and likewise whispered somethingto his champion. The little, old, weazened mendicant took his cue, andcut into "The Irish Washerwoman" with a great flourish, and in therefrain chanted an unintelligible gibberish like the yelping of acoyote, which the audience so cheered that he repeated it severaltimes. The crowd now gathered around the wagons and clamored for thedecision, and after consulting among ourselves some little time, andknowing that a neutral or indefinite verdict was desired, we delegatedthe bartender to announce our conclusions. Taking off his hat, hearose, and after requesting quietness, pretended to read our decision.

  "Gentlemen," he began, "your judges feel a delicacy in passing on themerits of such distinguished artists, but in the first number thedecision is unanimously in favor of the darky, while the second isclearly in favor of the white contestant. In regard to the last test,your judges cannot reach any decision, as the selections rendered failto qualify under the head of"--

  But two shots rang out in rapid succession across the street, and thecrowd, including the judges and fiddlers, rushed away to witness thenew excitement. The shooting had occurred in a restaurant, and quite amob gathered around the door, when the sheriff emerged from thebuilding.

  "It's nothing," said he; "just a couple of punchers, who had beendrinking a little, were eating a snack, and one of them asked for asecond dish of prunes, when the waiter got gay and told him that hecouldn't have them,--'that he was full of prunes now.' So the lad tooka couple of shots at him, just to learn him to be more courteous tostrangers. There was no harm done, as the puncher was too unsteady."

  As the crowd dispersed from the restaurant, I returned to the liverystable, where Straw and several of our outfit were explaining to theold mendicant that he had simply outplayed his opponent, and it wastoo bad that they were not better posted in sacred music. UnderStraw's leadership, a purse was being made up amongst them, and theold man's eyes brightened as he received several crisp bills and ahandful of silver. Straw was urging the old fiddler to post himself inregard to sacred music, and he would get up another match for the nextday, when Rod Wheat came up and breathlessly informed Officer andmyself that The Rebel wanted us over at the Black Elephant gamblinghall. As we turned to accompany him, we eagerly inquired if there wereany trouble. Wheat informed us there was not, but that Priest wasplaying in one of the biggest streaks of luck that ever happened."Why, the old man is just wallowing in velvet," said Rod, as wehurried along, "and the dealer has lowered the limit from a hundred tofifty, for old Paul is playing them as high as a cat's tack. He isn'tdrinking a drop, and is as cool as a cucumber. I don't know what hewants with you fellows, but he begged me to hunt you up and send youto him."

  The Black Elephant was about a block from the livery, and as weentered, a large crowd of bystanders were watching the playing aroundone of the three monte games which were running. Elbowing our waythrough the crowd, we reached my bunkie, whom Officer slapped on theback and inquired what he wanted.

  "Why, I want you and Quirk to bet a little money for me," he replied."My luck is with me to-day, and when I try to crowd it, this layoutgets foxy and pinches the limit down to fifty. Here, take this moneyand cover both those other games. Call out as they fall the layouts,and I'll pick the card to bet the money on. And bet her carelessly,boys, for she's velvet."

  As he spoke he gave Officer and myself each a handful of uncountedmoney, and we proceeded to carry out his instructions. I knew the gameperfectly, having spent several years' earnings on my tuition, and waspast master in the technical Spanish terms of the game, while Officerwas equally informed. John took the table to the right, while I tookthe one on the left, and waiting for a new deal, called the cards asthey fell. I inquired the limit of the dealer, and was politelyinformed that it was fifty to-day. At first our director ordered anumber of small bets made, as though feeling his way, for cards willturn; but as he found the old luck was still with him, he graduallyincreased them to the limit. After the first f
ew deals, I caught on tohis favorite cards, which were the queen and seven, and on these webet the limit. Aces and a "face against an ace" were also favoritebets of The Rebel's, but for a smaller sum. During the first hour ofmy playing--to show the luck of cards--the queen won five consecutivetimes, once against a favorite at the conclusion of a deal. Myjudgment was to take up this bet, but Priest ordered otherwise, for itwas one of his principles never to doubt a card as long as it won foryou.

  The play had run along some time, and as I was absorbed with watching,some one behind me laid a friendly hand on my shoulder. Having everycard in the layout covered with a bet at the time, and supposing it tobe some of our outfit, I never looked around, when there came a slapon my back which nearly loosened my teeth. Turning to see who wasmaking so free with me when I was absorbed, my eye fell on my brotherZack, but I had not time even to shake hands with him, for two cardswon in succession and the dealer was paying me, while the queen andseven were covered to the limit and were yet to be drawn for. When thedeal ended and while the dealer was shuffling, I managed to get a fewwords with my brother, and learned that he had come through with aherd belonging to one-armed Jim Reed, and that they were holding aboutten miles up the river. He had met Flood, who told him that I was intown; but as he was working on first guard with their herd, it washigh time he was riding. The dealer was waiting for me to cut thecards, and stopping only to wring Zack's hand in farewell, I turnedagain to the monte layout.

  Officer was not so fortunate as I was, partly by reason of delays, thedealer in his game changing decks on almost every deal, and underPriest's orders, we counted the cards with every change of the deck. Agambler would rather burn money than lose to a citizen, and everyhoodoo which the superstition of the craft could invoke to turn therun of the cards was used to check us. Several hours passed and thelamps were lighted, but we constantly added to the good--to thediscomfiture of the owners of the games. Dealers changed, but ourvigilance never relaxed for a moment. Suddenly an altercation sprangup between Officer and the dealer of his game. The seven had provedthe most lucky card to John, which fact was as plain to dealer as toplayer, but the dealer, by slipping one seven out of the pack after ithad been counted, which was possible in the hands of an adept in spiteof all vigilance, threw the percentage against the favorite card andin favor of the bank. Officer had suspected something wrong, for theseven had been loser during several deals, when with a seven-kinglayout, and two cards of each class yet in the pack, the dealer drewdown until there were less than a dozen cards left, when the kingcame, which lost a fifty dollar bet on the seven. Officer laid hishand on the money, and, as was his privilege, said to the dealer, "Letme look over the remainder of those cards. If there's two sevensthere, you have won. If there isn't, don't offer to touch this bet."

  But the gambler declined the request, and Officer repeated his demand,laying a blue-barreled six-shooter across the bet with the remark,"Well, if you expect to rake in this bet you have my terms."

  Evidently the demand would not have stood the test, for the dealerbunched the deck among the passed cards, and Officer quietly raked inthe money. "When I want a skin game," said John, as he arose, "I'llcome back and see you. You saw me take this money, did you? Well, ifyou've got anything to say, now's your time to spit it out."

  But his calling had made the gambler discreet, and he deigned no replyto the lank Texan, who, chafing under the attempt to cheat him, slowlyreturned his six-shooter to its holster. Although holding my own in mygame, I was anxious to have it come to a close, but neither of uscared to suggest it to The Rebel; it was his money. But Officer passedoutside the house shortly afterward, and soon returned with Jim Floodand Nat Straw.

  As our foreman approached the table at which Priest was playing, helaid his hand on The Rebel's shoulder and said, "Come on, Paul, we'reall ready to go to camp. Where's Quirk?"

  Priest looked up in innocent amazement,--as though he had beenawakened out of a deep sleep, for, in the absorption of the game, hehad taken no note of the passing hours and did not know that the lampswere burning. My bunkie obeyed as promptly as though the orders hadbeen given by Don Lovell in person, and, delighted with the turn ofaffairs, I withdrew with him. Once in the street, Nat Straw threw anarm around The Rebel's neck and said to him, "My dear sir, the secretof successful gambling is to quit when you're winner, and before luckturns. You may think this is a low down trick, but we're your friends,and when we heard that you were a big winner, we were determined toget you out of there if we had to rope and drag you out. How much areyou winner?"

  Before the question could be correctly answered, we sat down on thesidewalk and the three of us disgorged our winnings, so that Flood andStraw could count. Priest was the largest winner, Officer thesmallest, while I never will know the amount of mine, as I had no ideawhat I started with. But the tellers' report showed over fourteenhundred dollars among the three of us. My bunkie consented to allowFlood to keep it for him, and the latter attempted to hurrah us off tocamp, but John Officer protested.

  "Hold on a minute, Jim," said Officer. "We're in rags; we need someclothes. We've been in town long enough, and we've got the price, butit's been such a busy afternoon with us that we simply haven't had thetime."

  Straw took our part, and Flood giving in, we entered a generaloutfitting store, from which we emerged within a quarter of an hour,wearing cheap new suits, the color of which we never knew until thenext day. Then bidding Straw a hearty farewell, we rode for the NorthPlatte, on which the herd would encamp. As we scaled the bluffs, wehalted for our last glimpse of the lights of Ogalalla, and The Rebelremarked, "Boys, I've traveled some in my life, but that little holeback there could give Natchez-under-the-hill cards and spades, andthen outhold her as a tough town."