Yet old as he was to the ways of the round-up, he, in an unguarded instant, let a wild horse at the end of his lariat catch the horse he was riding with the taut rope in a sidewise position. Anyone versed in the work of the range knows that to meet the jerk at the end of a rope it to have the horse end to, with the front end towards the careening animal.

Chris' horse went down, and he was insensible so long that it was a gamble if he would ever "come back." This happened somewhere in the vicinity of the J-Pens, on Horse Creek, and Chris was taken to Fort Laramie, put in the post hospital and attended by the doctor of the fort.

Such incidents are in the nature of "scratches" to the boys of the prairie, and there is always a reluctance in getting word to the injured man's people, for the chances are that, if he don't die, he will be about again shortly, and possibly gone on about his business before word could be gotten a hundred to five hundred miles and the folks get back to the scene.

But the news of the accident to Streeks filtered through the Goshen Holes, across Horse creek and down Pumpkin creek and finally reached Streeks's wife, who lived then just southeasl of the present Airdale ranch.

Mrs. Streeks and her sister took a wagon

and started to run down the rumor and tryto find Chris, for betime the story had reached them it was merely a rumor that he had been hurt, and the location of the accident was very vague. They made Horse creek the first day, and stayed at a ranch where most of the people were transient, and knew nothing of the accident.