had turned in for a good night's rest,
when it began to storm finally developing into a genuine old fashioned
Texas storm, with the usual result that the herd stampeded.

The watch at once gave the alarm and we awoke to find everything in
confusion. It was a very dark night and under such circumstances it is
hard to control a herd of horses in a stampede. In a few moments every
man was in the saddle, as we always kept our saddle horses picketed out,
so they could not join the other horses. And it was our custom when on
the trail with a herd of horses on going into camp to leave our saddle
horses, saddled and bridled, merely loosing the cinches of the saddles
though sometimes we removed the bridles, to enable them to graze better.
So when the alarm was given in this instance, it did not take us long to
get in the saddle and after the horses who were now going across the
prairie as only frightened horses can go in a stampede.

The storm continued with more or less fury all night and it was late the
next day before we got the herd rounded up and under any sort of
control. The next morning we found that one of the boys, Frank Smith,
had lost his horse and outfit during the night. While chasing the horses
over the prairie, his horse stepped in a prairie dog's hole and fell.
Throwing his rider and snatching the rope out of Smith's hand, the horse
made off over the prairie carrying with him bridle, saddle and outfit,
and we never saw or heard of him again. After getting our breakfast, we
continued north, and all went well with us until we struck the Wakeeny
river, near Junction City, when in fording the stream. It was high water
and we were forced to swim our horses across. All went well with the
herd and the boys were following when one of them came near being
drowned, and was only saved by my quick rope.

I had entered the river and my horse was swimming easily, when on
glancing around I saw one of the boys, Loyd Hoedin by name, go under the
water. Both man and horse completely disappeared. They soon came up only
to disappear again. I saw at once something was wrong so when they came
up the second time I threw my rope. It fell near Hoedin, who had the
presence of mind to grasp it, and hold on while I snaked both man and
horse out to safety. After reaching Junction City and turning the herd
over to their new owners we started out to have the usual good time.
This lasted for several days during which time we cleaned up pretty