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Cowboy Poetry and Western Verse
The Yondering Man
A Tribute to Louis L'Amour
By William Guthrie
The Yondering Man ? the Yondering Man ?
look down the road,
here comes the Yondering Man ?
give him a place in front of the old camp fire ?
he'll tell you a tale
of a man named Bowdrie who rode for the law,
or maybe of a man called Baker
who was The First Fast Draw.
Listen as he yarns of
How The West Was Won,
or the high flying adventure
of The Heller With A Gun.
He'll lead you through the desert
where The Lonesome Gods dwell
and the fight to the finish
The Last Stand At Papago Wells.
Taste the dust from the cattle
goin' North To The Rails,
feel the tug of the arrow through your hat
on the old Kiowa Trail.
You'll be spellbound by the double jack men
of The Comstock Lode,
and feel the pull of the mighty rivers
that Jubal Sackett rode.
Ask of the Crossfire Trail,
or the brush-poppers down Matagorda way;
dare to walk beside The Tall Stranger,
but don't get in the way of Utah Blaine.
You'll hear the sizzle of the hair
as you're Riding For The Brand,
or get that faraway feelin'
as you tread upon The Empty Land.
He'll dare you to tread
in the steps of a man called Flint,
trek To The Far Blue Mountains,
where the first Sacketts went.
Do you ride
Where The Long Grass Blows,
maybe dare the shoals of Malibu
with The Californios?
The Youndering Man will try you
with the iron-willed Hondo
or test you as you ride the river
with the youngest Sackett - Echo.
Reilly's Luck will hold so don't buck the tiger
or gamble with The High Graders,
and if you can't pay the fiddler,
don't dance to the tune of The Daybreakers.
The Mormons trusted Bendigo Shafter;
the Russians didn't know The Last Of The Breed
and if you ride into Dark, or Silver Canyon
it's more than luck you'll need.
There's excitement with The Key-Lock Man,
or valiant death on The Warrior's Path,
but beware the speed of Milo Talon,
and Kilkenny's wrath.
Ask about Red Horse,
the town Fallon began,
or the tale of the Ferguson Rifle,
and the mettle of The Sackett Brand.
Do you venture upon The Haunted Mesa,
or travel with A Man Called Noon?
Beware of the Showdown at Yellow Butte;
go Down The Long Hills, but go real soon.
If you're weak of heart,
don't go near High Lonesome
or visit Sitka,
even Passin' Through to Mojave Crossing.
Ride The Trail To The Crazy Man,
or Hanging Woman Creek,
trail The Shadow Riders, but if you see
The Iron Marshall, get on the other side of the street.
If you like your danger fast,
ride with Vallion in The Quick And The Dead,
but don't ride in on The Mountain Valley War
unless you like hot lead.
If you think you're tough,
ride The Proving Trail, Under The Sweetwater Rim;
unless you're mucho hombre, fight shy of Callaghen,
Catlow, Killrone - any of them.
Treasure Mountain is no picnic
for the weak and frail;
that's for someone like Mary Breydon,
who tamed The Cherokee Trail.
There's not enough time to learn all his lore
the tales of the Old West
so wait till ya ride 'cross the sunset
he's savin' us the Best.
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