Adventures of Pudge

WYOMING SUMMER: PART IV

Pudge was alone in the house trying to decide what he would do for the day so he wouldn’t be bored, when the phone

rang.

“Hi Pudge, this is Cliff. I have something to ask you and I need an answer right away. My dad is going with my Uncle

Jack to round up some stray cattle in the mountains and Dad said to ask you if you want to come. We have to leave

tomorrow morning, that’s why I have to know right away. We should be back in three or four days.”

“Gee,” answered Pudge. “I’d sure like to go with you but the problem is I have to ask my mom and dad and they’re not

here. Dad is helping out at the station in Dermat this morning and won’t be back to Caleb until this afternoon. And Mom

took the train to Lander to shop and won’t be home until tonight. I guess I could call Dad in Dermat and ask him, but there’s

another problem. I don’t know how to ride a horse.”

“Don’t worry about that,” replied Cliff. “We won’t be doing any hard riding and we’ll get Uncle Jack to give you a gentle

horse. Anyway, get back to me as soon as you can. We have to get everything ready today.”

When Cliff hung up Pudge asked the operator to ring the station in Dermat for him. His dad answered the phone.

“I have something important to ask you, Dad. Cliff wants me to go with him and his dad and uncle to help round up some

cattle that wandered into the mountains. They have to leave tomorrow and will be gone three or four days. I told Cliff I’d call

him right back.”

“I can’t see any problem with you going, except for how you’re going to stay on the horse,” his father replied. “I’ll be

home about five and help you get things to Cliff’s. Find out from him what you need to bring. Getting it all together will give

you something to do today so you won’t get bored. I’ll see you about five.”

As soon as his dad hung up Pudge was back on the phone to Cliff. “Dad says I can go. Tell me what to bring and I’ll get

it all together. Then Dad will bring me to your house as soon as he gets home.”

Cliff made a number of suggestions and asked his dad to suggest more. Mostly it was sturdy clothes and a warm

jacket. “Bring your fishing pole too,” Cliff’s dad added. “We might have time to do a little fishing.”

Pudge spent the rest of the morning getting his gear together and found he still had time to tie a few flies. Then he

waited anxiously for his father to come home to take him to Cliff’s. Late that afternoon Mr. Hammond dropped Pudge off at

Cliff’s house and told Cliff’s mom and dad not to worry about when they got back. He knew Pudge was in good hands.

In the evening, after supper, Mr. and Mrs. Drew, Cliff and Pudge loaded all their gear into the back of the Drews’ station

wagon and drove to Uncle Jack’s ranch near Wirth, about 20 miles away. Pudge was so excited it took a long time for him

to settle down to sleep that night.

Early the next morning they were out hitching up large horse trailers to three pickups and transferring all the camping

gear to the back of the pickups. Pudge watched, fascinated, as all the members of Uncle Jack’s family loaded the horses

and tack with ease into the trailers. This was all a new experience for him.

Altogether there were eight horses, six to accommodate all the riders going and two more as pack horses to carry the

gear. In addition to Pudge and Cliff, the party consisted of Cliff’s father and mother, Chuck and Polly Drew, and Jack and

Penny Drew and their two children, Ralph and Jean. Polly and Penny would not accompany the others on the roundup but

were needed to drive two of the trucks back to the ranch. The other truck someone would pick up at a later date.

Ralph Drew was a stocky, dark-haired sixteen year old who was very quiet and reserved. His twelve year old sister,

Jean, was slim, red-headed and more outgoing.

As soon as everything was loaded they all climbed into the trucks. Cliff and Pudge rode with Uncle Jack in the lead

vehicle. Ralph and Jean rode with their mother in the second truck; Chuck and Polly followed in the third.

They started out heading towards the mountains Pudge and Cliff visited earlier with Pudge’s parents but veered north at

a fork that took them into a different river drainage. Soon, they were following a river considerably smaller than the one they

fished on their earlier trip, but still a large river nevertheless. In a short time they left the valley floor behind and began

winding their way by switchbacks up a steep canyon wall.

An hour later they leveled off on a large plateau that extended for miles to the north. Here the group turned west and

began climbing more gently to a wooded area several miles away.

As they were driving Jack Drew explained to the boys that they had to take the trucks the route they had come as this

was the only road that would get them near the stray cattle. The cattle would be driven down by a different route that was

impassable for vehicles. It would take about a day’s riding to locate and round up the cattle and another two days to drive

them back to the ranch. Early that afternoon they would stop for the night near the river. Here they should have time to get in

a little fishing.

About two in the afternoon they pulled into a large clearing close to the river. Three tents were set up near the edge of

the clearing and wood gathered for a cook fire. The horses were hobbled at the far end of the clearing where there was an

abundance of grass for them to eat. As soon as camp was set up Pudge and Cliff grabbed their fly rods and clambered

down to the stream to try the fishing.

The river here was about 25 feet wide and had many long runs and pockets of water that looked ideal for fishing. In a

short time the men also came to the stream, with heavy bait casting rods and reels and a large lure attached to each. Ralph

didn’t care for fishing and stayed in camp tending to the needs of the horses.

“You boys catch the little ones on your feathers, Jack and I will take care of the big ones,” said Cliff’s dad.

The two men headed downstream and the boys began fishing upstream. They were soon catching trout, mostly 7 to 8

inch rainbows which they released and an occasional ten incher which they kept. After they had fished for about an hour they

approached a large pool where Cliff gulped and then stammered, “There’s a fish in there about three feet long.”

Pudge crept up close to Cliff so he could see what Cliff was excited about and was so astounded he began to shake.

“You saw him first, you catch him,” cried Pudge. “We may have to keep him or nobody will believe us.”

Cliff began to make long casts to the pool, trying to get his fly placed so it would float down past the monster. On the first

pass the fish ignored the fly but on the second float it zoomed to the surface and inhaled it. As soon as it felt the bite of the

hook the fish took off in a tremendous run that took it first to the head of the pool then to the foot, where it continued on

through a cascade to a small, deep pool below a large boulder. All this time Cliff followed as best as he could, leaping from

rock to rock and splashing through the water to keep up with the mad dashes of the fish. At the same time he was yelling at

the top of his lungs, “Get the net, get the net!”

This quickly drew an audience as everyone from camp came running to see what the noise was about. Cliff was

oblivious to the presence of others, he was so intent on landing the fish. Consequently, when he did land it, about 15

minutes later, he was surprised when a round of applause erupted.

Cliff proudly held up his catch, which his dad estimated to be about 21 inches long, and then released the fish back into

the river. “I’ll catch him again sometime,” he proudly proclaimed.

Altogether the men and boys had kept 20 fish, which they decided was enough for supper. “Let’s eat,” suggested Cliff.

“That fish made me hungry.”

Next morning the horses were rounded up and saddled, all the gear loaded and goodbys said to the two women who

would drive two of the trucks back to the ranch. Pudge was assigned an old, gray horse called “Puffer.” It was explained to

him that she was given that name because every time she climbed a long hill she huffed and puffed like a steam engine.

“She’s very mellow,” said Jack Drew. “All you need to do to get her to move is kick your heels very gently into her sides.”

Jack showed Pudge how to climb into the saddle, helped him adjust the stirrups, and hollered. “We’re ready, let’s go.”

Everyone mounted their horses and the group moved out from camp. They began a slow descent to the river, then at the

river’s edge formed a single file with Jack leading the way across His horse moved swiftly through the boulder strewn

stream and was followed in rapid order by the children. Pudge was second in line. Everything went fine until, about half way

across, Puffer stopped to take a drink. She drank and drank and Pudge couldn’t get her to quit.

Finally, he called to the others, “What do I do to get my horse to move? I don’t want to stay in the middle of the river all

day.”

Chuck Drew, came up directly behind Pudge, and replied, “You have to show her who’s boss. Pull up on the reins, and at

the same time kick her in the ribs.”

Apparently, this was not the right thing to do with Puffer. As soon as Pudge followed this suggested the horse reared up

causing Pudge to land, spluttering and coughing , on his backside in the river. The horse then moved slowly to the far side of

the river, leaving Pudge in his predicament.

Fortunately, Chuck was close enough to pick Pudge up, plunk Pudge behind him on his horse and cart him the rest of

the way across. Otherwise, Pudge would have had to wade, waist deep in places. When they reached the other side Jack

cautioned Pudge not to show any anger to the horse or Pudge and the horse would be enemies from then on.

“The best thing for you to do is to approach with your hand out, rub her nose and show her there are no hard feelings,” he

suggested. “That way you’ll be friends.”

Pudge thought it strange that, after a horse throws you in the water you should thank it, but he did as suggested. Soon,

the horse was nuzzling his arm and they were ready to continue. When Pudge was back in the saddle he reached forward

and stroked Puffer’s neck.

For the next hour or so they followed a rough trail that climbed steadily as it took them away from the river. As predicted,

by the time they were half way up Puffer was huffing and puffing.

At the top of the climb they all dismounted to give the horses a rest. When Pudge’s feet touched the ground his legs felt

strangely weak, as if he had lost all his strength. Pudge, walking stiffly, led Puffer to a small meadow where she could feed

on the clumps of grass in that area. The horse then placidly followed him back to the rest of the group.

“Chuck and I are going to do some scouting ahead to see if we can find any traces of the cattle,” Jack informed them.

“You kids wait here with the pack horses. If we don’t come back in a couple of hours, set up camp here. We’ll be back no

later than five o’clock. There’s a spring a short way up the hill, one of you can fetch water when you need it.” Following these

comments Jack and Chuck saddled up and headed further up the draw they had been following.

In about an hour the men returned and announced that they had located the cattle at the head of the draw. The group

moved to that area and set up camp.

As they were no longer near the river there was no fishing to occupy their time so the children played a game of baseball

with pine cones and a bat made from a branch.

Ralph proved to be an expert fielder, even with pine cones, and Pudge soon found out that Ralph was the star player on his

high school baseball team. Jean also showed that she had some skills at the sport.

For a while the men joined in but they soon went back to chores needed to prepare for the next day’s cattle drive. When

they tired of the baseball game Pudge and his friends returned to the camp area and helped set up camp for the night.

Pudge wandered over to where the horses were hobbled and patted each on in turn, talking softly to Puffer when it was her

turn.

The next morning Pudge and Cliff were assigned the task of breaking camp and packing all the gear onto the pack

horses while the others went on their horses to begin rounding up the cattle. It would then be Pudge’s and Cliff’s job to lead

the pack horses, following the herd as it was driven down the trail.

“You’ll have to eat our dust at times,” commented Jack. “But, we’ll be near the river tonight and you can wash it all off.”

The route took them downhill through a very narrow box canyon. At times it was necessary for them to dismount and

lead their horses through as the footing was treacherous. There were many small boulders and pebbles that tended to roll

under their feet. By now Pudge was beginning to feel like an old hand at riding a horse and was able to lead Puffer through

the difficult parts with ease. By mid-afternoon they were through the box canyon and could see the alders that lined the river

off in the distance.

“Uncle Jack says the best place to camp is on the other side of the river,” Cliff told Pudge. “Do you think you can make it

across without falling in?”

Pudge stuck his tongue out at Cliff and retorted, “You just take care of yourself, Big mouth.” When they reached the river

Pudge led the way across without incident.

After the horses were hobbled and the cattle bedded down at the mouth of a small box canyon they set up camp near a

small spring. “The best drinking water in Wyoming,” proclaimed Jack.

As soon as the chores were finished the men and boys went to the river, undressed, and plunged in. They all whooped

and hollered when the icy water hit their skin but were able to stay in long enough to wash off the dust and grime from the

day’s ride. Jean, as the only girl in the group, sedately went to another part of the river to wash.

The male members of the group had just finished dressing when they heard a scream from the area where Jean had

gone. Pudge was the first to react. He ran as quickly as he could to Jean's location and, at first, failed to see her. When he

finally spotted her he noticed she was sitting in the water, fully clothed, near a large boulder. The water was almost to her

shoulders.

“Did you horse throw you?” Pudge asked.

“No, I was trying to cross over; I slipped and fell and my foot got caught between two rocks,” was her reply.

Without hesitation Pudge plunged into the water and waded to where Jean was sitting. “Let me see if I can help,” he

said. He tried reaching down into the water but discovered he couldn’t reach the rocks where her foot was jammed. Also,

he couldn’t see what the situation was. Pudge dove under the surface and was able to see that her foot was wedged

between two large rocks, rocks that were too large for him to move.

When he surfaced Jean’s dad was standing next to her. Pudge explained the situation and suggested to Jack that, if he

couldn’t move one of the rocks, they tie a rope to it and drag it away with one of the horses. Jack dove into the water to take

a look and when he emerged told Pudge he agreed.

“Go saddle one of the horses and bring it here with a long rope,” he called to the others, who by this time had

congregated at the edge of the stream.

Ralph and Chuck went running to get a horse. Cliff decided he had to have a closer look and waded into the stream next

to Pudge and Jack. When Chuck returned on his horse Ralph ran alongside him carrying a rope.

Chuck halted the horse at the river’s edge, tied one end of the rope to his saddle horn and Ralph waded out with the

other end of the rope. Pudge dove under again to see if he could find a place to tie the rope around the rock. In the

meantime, Jean sat there quietly but in obvious pain from the ordeal. When Pudge surfaced he motioned to Jack to take a

look as he would probably have a better idea how to tie the rope.

Jack took the rope with him when he dove under. After several dives from which he came up gasping for air he

motioned with his thumb that the rope was secure. Chuck started his horse moving while Jack watched to see that the rope

stayed secure. In a short time the rope tightened and the boulder moved enough for Jean to remove her foot from the trap.

As soon as her foot was loose Jean lost her footing again and splashed back into the water. Quickly, Pudge grasped

her and held her head above the water until Jack was able to pick her up and carry her to shore. Here, a superficial

examination showed her ankle to be badly bruised, and no doubt painful, but otherwise okay. When Pudge inquired how

she was feeling Jean threw her arms around him and thanked him for saving her. Pudge blushed a bright red as he

mumbled a “Your Welcome” to her. He then walked to where Cliff was standing, his face still crimson.

As they sat around the campfire that night Jack expressed his thanks to Pudge for his help in rescuing Jean. Jean also

thanked him, causing Pudge to blush a deep scarlet once more. At this Cliff piped in, tauntingly, “Jeannie likes Pudgie,

Jeannie likes Pudgie.” .Pudge threw himself at Cliff and soon both boys were rolling in the dust, Pudge still a bright red and

Cliff roaring with laughter. Soon Pudge started to laugh too. When the wrestling stopped and the boys stood up all the

others began to laugh. Pudge and Cliff were covered with dust from head to toe. That was quickly remedied. Jack and

Chuck picked the two boys up and dumped them into the river.

“You just wait,” Pudge hollered at Jack. “I’ll get even with you for that.” Then Pudge sat down and began to laugh.

The next morning they were on the trail early. Jean’s ankle was wrapped so that she had no difficulty riding. The cattle

were herded down the canyon. Before long the land began to flatten out and Jack announced that they should be back to the

ranch in about an hour.

Next morning Pudge gathered his belongings and went to say his goodbyes to Jack and his family and to thank them for

inviting him on the trip. He let them know he had enjoyed himself very much. When he turned to say goodbye to Jean he

again turned red and could only mumble.