078
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Title
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078
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Transcription
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I soon find the cattle, they are bunched together behind a wind break of trees, but a lone cow is standing beside a newborn calf that is half hidden in the snow. It appears to be only a few hours old, but unless it can get dry and nurse, it won't live long in this kind of weather. I ride to the calf, and expect to get it on the horse with me and get it to a warmer place, but when I get off of my horse, the cow makes a lunge for me, and I quickly get back in the saddle, and again dismount, but with the same results. I try to drop a rope over the head of the little critter, but he won't lift it high enough. I ride off, and wish him well, because it is dangerous to face that old cow.
I look over the rest of the cattle and find no more calves, so I ride over to the hay yards to check the fences. When I get off my horse and drop the reins, he has been trained to stand when the reins drop. I fix a gate that is down, and turn just in time to see him start for home. He crosses the river and heads for the barn.
For a moment I stand in shock. It is four miles around by the bridge, where I can cross and keep dry. It is less than 3/4 of a mile to the house if I cross the river. There are small cakes of ice slowly floating down the river, it has been cold enough for the river to start freezing again.
It will take me well over an hour to go by was of the bridge, and less than 20 minutes to cross the river. I do not hesitate long, it is too cold to waste time, so I decide to go the short route. I sit down on the bank of the river, off come my boots with spurs still attached, then my pants. The shocker comes when the long johns come off, there is nothing between me and the snowy bank.
The trip across was not as bad as I had expected. I rolled up my clothes, held them over my head while crossing. On the other side it was less of a shock, by scraping away the snow from a tree stump, it did not take long to get the long johns on. By the time I reach the house I'm beginning to get warm, but the potbelly stove never looked so good, and I DID HAVE DRY PANTS.
What happened to the calf that was left in the snow? The calves were all shipped to Omaha in October. The heaviest one weighed 500 lbs., but he was a queer looking creature, his ears were only an inch long, and looked like small horns; his tail had a length of only 5 inches. The frozen ends of ears and tail made him appear to be something other than a cow, but it never stunted his growth.
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Metzger Memories
