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12.

quicker with his Colts 45. He got the drop on the man and threatened
to blow his head off if he moved. The man was kept covered while we
made his wife take charge of the gun he had threatened us with, and were
we glad to get away from that house!

"It rained that day and every few minutes we had to stop on
that ranch trail and get the mud off the wheels in order to continue
our journey until we reached a main road where other wagons had
traveled.

"We carried our dog along on our trips. Where he got the
name of Todd I don't know, but I do remember that he could whip any
dog he ever saw, if the fight took place under our own wagon. He
was such a smart canine that he wouldn't fight until he was safely
beneath our wagon. Herds of wolves and coyotes were frequently in
sight of our wagon, and we saw all too many rattlesnakes. Prairie
dog towns and jack rabbits were everywhere. I never could understand
why a coyote couldn't catch a jack rabbit, but that's true. He might
get on its trail but he couldn't catch a jack rabbit.

"Texas farmers and cattle owners seemed to have more to fear
from the elements than they did where I was raised in good old Alabama.
Droughts, hail storms, and blizzards, all were potential sources of
ruin for the Texan who raised cattle and crops. Cattle and sheep often
froze too suddenly for the owners to have a chance to save them, and
there were other hazards too.

"One day in June, the first year I was there, I noticed that
the sunlight was getting dim at midday. I'd never seen it look like

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