SPUR TALK

The day Bill McDonald rode over the hill leading the Appaloosa, Slim and I were repairing the corrals. Slim was running Pete Coleman's little ranch about three miles south of Cow Springs, New Mexico. I was just a snotty-nosed, freckle-faced kid at the time.

- MAX EVANS

Bill rode up and said, "Howdy, Fellers." 

It made me feel right proud to be included among the "fellers. I think Slim and I both sensed something wrong when Bill first spoke.

"How's things goin', Bill?" Slim asked.

"Not so good. Little Feller, here, throwed my boy," he said, "I think his leg's busted."

"The hell you say."

"The third time this week," Bill said. "Can't understand it. The wife has gone into Santa Fe for the Doc. It's pretty bad, and we was afraid to move him till we got aholt of the Doc."

The big Appaloosa stood there as gentle as a milk cow. A man couldn't imagine he'd buck at all. According to his size, he was sure named funny. Bill's boy, Herod, started calling him Little Feller when he was a colt and the name stuck. He was especially big for this part of the country where the main horse used was the small Spanish mustang. Little Feller must've weighed around eleven fifty and was powerfully muscled. I knew that in the early days the Appaloosa was prized by Indian chieftains, not only for his unusual markings, but because of his toughness. "Slim, Bill said, "I've got to get on back but I sure as all hell wish you'd give this old pony a workin' over."

Slim said, "All right, Bill, I'll see what I can do, and reached for the Appaloosa's rein.

Slim kept looking Little Feller over and Bill rode off, and I heard him mumbling to himself. Then he said aloud, "Can't figger it out. That horse is four years old and he never bucked a jump all the time Herod was breaking him. But," he added, "I've seen 'em that way before. If you don't take it out of 'em quick, you've got an outlawed horse on your hands."

Slim was one of the best horse-breakers in this part of the country. You could hardly find an outfit around that didn't have a horse or two he'd tamed.