Run Away Wagon

One time, when mama and I were ranching by ourselves, we had to make due with what we already had. We had a good pair of mules, a good wagon, two riding horses, and enough tools to run a ranch. I was about 14 or 15 years old when we undertook this endeavor but I was no longer a child.

Our fences weren’t good and constantly had to be patched. On one occasion we set out to fix the fence a long ways from the house. By the time I got the mules hooked up and tools loaded, it was up in the day. Mama made us both some lunch to carry so that we could stay out all day. A little while after we got started, clouds began building out in the west. We paid them little attention though, for we had work to do. After a while it was obvious that it was going to rain and we decided to quit and go to the house.

Before the tools were loaded it started to sprinkle and soon after it started raining hard. There was no way we could stay dry, but good thing it was Summer and not like it would have been in the colder weather. We hadn’t gone far when we started to see a few golf ball size hail stones bouncing on the ground and hitting the wagon. I put mama under the wagon seat for protection from the hail. I was wearing an old felt hat that provided me some protection. As it started to hail harder the mules began to run away. I thought “I could probably stop them, but it was going to be impossible.”

I stood up behind the seat to keep from being thrown out and from there I could hold the lines and keep the mules running straight. I knew if they swerved, the wagon would have turned over and thrown us out. The only thing I could do was to let the mules run, hoping they would tire enough that I could stop them before we got to the pens.  Boy was I wrong, I could tell the mules were going to get close enough together to go through the gate but the wagon on the other hand was too wide to safely go through.
viagra 100mg tablet why not try here It is a Chinese herbal medicine which can cure male reproductive and urinary method illnesses and males’ urinary system diseases. Either way, this condition can free tadalafil sample result in lowered sex drive, depression or also weight gain. generic tadalafil Every time of use, the medicine fills more pleasure and enjoyment, making one’s relationship blissful. Things Should Be Done For Occasional Impotence order viagra Good news is that it doesn’t need a prescription too to be taken as prescribed for safer results.
I tried to brace for a sudden stop but when we hit, I went  flying over the seat onto the backs of the two mules. They separated and I went falling down on the wagon tongue. Thankfully though I managed to stay out from under the mules feet. I unhooked the trace chains from the tree and freed the mules to go into the barn. Then I went out to check on mama.

She was not seriously injured. We both we bruised and scraped but we survived. A little roughed up but we lived to ranch another day.

 

8 thoughts on “Run Away Wagon

  1. David Easton

    Your story reminded me of listening to my grandpa describe to me how to hitch up a team to a wagon. He was an old muleskinner who drove his team for the state of Oklahoma following behind the surveyors who were laying out and cutting the original section lines that deliniated sections of land to be alloted by the state to homesteaders. I sure wish I could sit and listen to him tell those stories again. Thank you for that little trip down memory lane….

    Reply
  2. Kelly Wiggins

    I love your stories! I know that everyone tells you all the time that you should write a book, but you need to write a book!! It is very refreshing to come in each day and read your stories especially after reading so many negative things going on in the world. Your stories direct my thoughts to days gone by and to those of my ancestors!! I will never tire of them. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
    1. Dale Parker

      I enjoyed this story! Buster Welch told us one about his son, Greg, and a team of runaway Welsh ponies. Greg was just a kid and was out rabbit hunting and those ponies ran off and he couldn’t get ’em stopped. They were running too fast for him to jump off, so he stands up and levels off with that .22 and was gonna drop the worst one, when one of the cowboys saw it and ran up and got them pulled up. Buster said, “I can’t imagine the wreck if that kid woulda dropped that pony!”
      Next time you’re out in Fort Davis, shoot me an email. I’d like to buy you a cup of coffee and we can share more stories!

      Reply
  3. Leon Pierce

    Could tell the wreck was coming…hail stone storm and runaway mules storm wasn’t going to be pretty. ..

    Reply
  4. Candy Jones

    I love your stories It’s nice to read something that’s not gloomy and full of violence Thank you for writing your stories for us

    Reply
  5. Laura Jarvis

    That was great! It was amazing you and your mama were not really hurt in that wreck! I can see you were a take-charge young man early on……Thank you for taking the time to share the stories…..

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *