But we always had the remedy at hand for these fellows and immediately one of us would mount a horse and taking a dog make a straight run for the leader and begin to give him the "business end" of a long, heavy whip, the horse being trained to this sort of performance would keep close to this leader, allowing us to pour on the whip until he was so completely run down and fagged out generally that he would never aspire to that office again; in fact, he would lose all interest in _cattle politics_, not even making a good follower thereafter. But other leaders would spring up and have to be discouraged in the same manner. While these clan leaders gave us more or less trouble during the whole of the season and made it necessary to exercise vigilance, it did not have in it that source of danger and excitement that we experienced in a general stampede. We had two of these during this season, one of which turned out rather seriously and furnished enough excitement to have satisfied the most reckless boy in our vicinity. It was some time the last of the month of May. We had "rounded up" our cattle in the evening as usual, putting them in the "pound" for the night. Our cabin was near the "pound" and situated on higher ground, so we could overlook the entire herd. This "pound" had an area of about ten acres, being enclosed by a very strong wooden fence. It was some time after midnight when we were awakened by the approach of a terrific thunderstorm. We knew the danger of a stampede during these storms and immediately got up, dressed ourselves in our rubber clothes, went to the stable a few yards away and saddled our horses. We were then ready for any emergency. When the lightning flashed we could see the cattle walking in a circle round and round the "pound." Soon the rain began to pour down in torrents and the storm was on in earnest. It had not been raining long when with a blinding flash the lightning struck a tree just outside the "pound." The shock was so great that it knocked down a number of the cattle, which we saw regaining their feet during the next flash of lightning. With one mighty surge the cattle mashed down the entire fence on one side of the "pound" and the stampede was on. We had our horses out in a "jiffy" and calling the dogs we started in hot pursuit. All we dared to do was "to follow." There were quite a number of trees in the path they took for about eighty rods from the pound. The almost continuous lightning enabled us to follow the cattle. They were running at full speed and it sounded like distant thunder and fairly shook the earth. They ran about a mile when they came to a small lake, which caused them to separate into two distinct herds. I followed one herd and my companion the other. After running about four miles and through a large farm they finally stopped in some heavy timber. I had not long to wait until daylight, and the storm being over I "rounded up" all I could find and started them back toward the herd grounds,