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The Herd Boy of the Plains
By PRESIDENT JOSEPH F. SMITH
(This is another delightful narrative in the life of President Smith-a real experience for a boy nine years of age. The scene was the herd-grounds near Winter Quarters.-P. N.)
ONE bright morning in company with my companions, namely, Alden Burdick, almost a young man grown, and very sober, steady boy, Thomas Burdick, about my own age, but a little older, and Isaac Blocksome, a little younger than myself, I started out with my cattle, comprising the cows, the young stock, and several yoke of oxen which were unemployed that day, to go to the herd grounds about one and a half or two miles from the town (Winter Quarters). We had two horses, both belonging to the Burdicks, and a young pet jack belonging to me. Alden proposed to take it afoot through the hazel and some small woods by a side road, and gather some hazel nuts for the crowd, while we took out the cattle and we could meet at the spring on the herd ground. This arrangement just suited us, for we felt when Alden was away we were free from all restraint; his presence, he being the oldest, restrained us, for he was very sedate and operated as an extinguisher upon our exuberance of youthful feelings. I was riding Alden's bay mare; Thomas his father's black pony, and Isaac, my jack. On the way we had some sport with "Ike" and the jack, which plagued "Ike" so badly that he left us with disgust, turning the jack loose with the bridle on, and went home. When Thomas and I arrived at the spring we set down our dinner pails, mounted our horses and amused ourselves by running short races, and jumping the horses across ditches, Alden not having arrived as yet. While we were thus amusing ourselves, our cattle were feeding along down the little spring creek towards a rolling point about half a mile distant. The leaders of the herd had stretched out about half way to this point, when all of a sudden a gang of Indians, stripped to the breachclout, painted and daubed and on horse-back, came charging at full speed from behind this point, towards us.