~ One Spur and the Arrow ~
Part 10: MAN AND HORSE
~ 346 ~
Now One Spur rode alone,
With a heavy heart of sadness
Hope for Deacon still alive
Had gone with all his gladness
~ 347 ~
The great horse tired with every mile
His limbs were cut, and wet
But in his bold stride remained a power
That would gain the township yet.
~ 348 ~
As the days long shadows fell
Man and horse went on
Soon all the suns bright light
Would fade and would be gone
~ 349 ~
Swaying tiredly in the saddle
The strength from One Spur seeped
As across the slowly cooling plain
The evening shadows peeped
~ 350 ~
And gentle words unwasted
From man to horse alone
In a land of vastly nothing
Were words from friendship grown
~ 351 ~
For friendship grows from hardship
Between a horse and man
And loses its first memory
Where this fine thing began
~ 352 ~
For here the mute and master
Faced hopelessness alone
Where many had gone before them
To shrivel to the bone
~ 353 ~
But how could courage muster
A greater thing than trust
That grows within Brave One spur
For this horse in powdered dust
~ 354 ~
For trust makes living hopeful
And dying an easier thing
Unthought of strength produces
When to life and death they cling
~ 355 ~
But the now the powerful stallion
Could barely raise a trot
And still the vast land spread
In a hundred mile lot
~ 356 ~
But slowly the miles passed by
And slowly the trail grew hard
For now the strain was telling
On the stockman and his pard
~ 357 ~
But the township now in sight
Was a spec to the watchful eye
But the eyes of One spur could not see
Nor could he raise a cry
~ 358 ~
His head lay now in his horses mane
His arms just dangled down
For he had lost all sense of life
All prayers and hopes had drowned
~ 359 ~
But the valiant horse strove on
And caught the scent of Town
His ears pricked, his nostrils blew
Was this where they were bound?
~ 360 ~
The people of the town came near
To help One Spur down from leather
To revive him while he mumbled
How the three had rode together
~ 361 ~
"God speed you to poor Bigsby now
For he's dying on the trail
Then look for deacon and for stokes..."
Ones Spurs face grew pale
~ 362 ~
The townsmen and the doctor
Soon found the moving herd
And met Deacon on the trail
With his bay all badly burned
~ 363 ~
John stokes had returned
When his stallion Sholt had tired
And was leading out the cattle
Clean and freshly attired
~ 364 ~
So Brigsby's life was saved
By One Spur and the Arrow
For love and trust and friendship
Was a trail not so very narrow.