The west shore., September 01, 1885, Page 271, Image 13

THE WEST SHORE
271
singing, until finally the cattle booomo quiet, and after a
time lie down and commence chewing thnir enl with
apparent contentment Still the vigiknoe of the mon
cannot be relaxed. At least half of them most continue
riding about the resting herd all night A stampede of
cattle is a terrible thing to the cowboys, and may be
brought on by the most trivial cause. These wild oattle
away from homes are as variuble as the wind, and when
frightened are as irresistible as an avalauche. The slight
est noise of an unusual nature, the barking of a coyote,
the snap of a pistol, the crackling of a twig, will bring
some wild-eyed Bteer to his foet in terror. Another in
stant and the whole drove are panting and bellowing in
the wildest fear. They are ready to follow the lead of
any animal that makes a break. Then the coolness and
self-possession of the cowboy are called into play. They
still continue their wild gallop around the frightened
drove, endeavoring to reassure thorn and get them quiet
onoe more. Maybe they will succeed after an hour or
two, and the animals will again be at rest But the
chances are that Uiey cannot be quieted so easily. A
break is made in some direction. Here comes the hero
ism of the cowboy. Those cattle are as blind and un
reasoning in their flight as a pair of runaway horses.
They know no danger but from behind, and if they did,
could not stop for the surging sea of maddened animals
in the rear. A rocky gorge or deep cut canyon may
cause the loss of half their number. Those in the rear
cannot see the danger, and the leaders cannot stop for
those behind and are pushed on to their death. A preci
pice may lie in their way, over which they plunge to de
struction. It matters not to the cowboy. If the stam
pede is made the captain of the drove and his men ride
until they head it, and then endeavor to turn the animals
in a circle onoe more. A bole in the ground, which
catches a horse's foot, a stumble, and the hwfs of three
thousand cattle have trampled the semblance of human
ity from him. He knows this. A gulch or gorge lies in
their path. There is no escaping it There is no turn
ing to the right or the loft, and in an instant horse and
rider are at the bottom, buried under thousand cattle.
History records no instance of more unquestioning per
formance of duty in the presence of danger than is done
by these men on every drive. Should the stampede be
stopped there is no rest for the drivers that night, but
the utmost vigilance is required to prevent a recurrence
of the break from the frightened cattle. This may hap
pen hundreds of times on a single drive.
" I remember one instance which, from the friendship
in which I held the victim, has mndo a lasting impres
sion on m& Two brothers were together on the drive.
Doth men bad been educated in an Eastern college, but
for some reason had drifted to the cattle plains of Texas
and bad become cowboys. The elder wss the captain of
the drive. Sitting about the camp-fire one night the
younger was very down-hearted about something, and
finally said: 'Charlie, let's throw op this drive. I don't
want to go; I feel that one or the other of us will never
go back. I atn ashamed of this, but I cannot shake it
off.' His brother was impressed by his seriousness, but
viH w'y f-y: 'Oerrsc, hero aro tLroo tLouuJ
in my charge, I could not leave them if I knew that I
would he killed to-morrow.' 'A stampede!' cried one of
the men. In an instaut they were all at their animals,
saddles wore adjusted, and away they wout The captain
gained the head of the drive, and had succeeded in turn
ing them a little when his horse stumbled. In another
instant horse and rider could hardly have been distin
guished from one another. This is the class of men cow
boys are made of, and I never knew of many instances
whore they failed to do their duty.
"There is anothor interesting period in the life of the
cowboy, and that is the spring round-up. In the fall the
cattle stray away, and in working away from the storms
they sometimes got nway a hundred miles or so. Each
cattlo owner has his own particular brand on his oattle.
The ranchmen in some natural division of the country
will organise a grand round-up in the spring. The cow
boys will drive the oattle all iu together in one big drove.
Then the captain. of the rouud-up will direct the owuer of
ranch A to 'out' out his oattle. On of A's most experi
enced men will then ride into the drive until ha sights au
animal with his brand on. Deftly he will drive the ani
mal to the outer edge of the herd, and then with quick
dash run the beast out away from the drove, aud it is
taken in oharge by others of A'a rauohmou, while the
outter goes back after anothor. After soma fifteen or
twenty minutes A's outter will be taken off aud IT a man
givon a chance. This will be continued until each ranch
has its oattle out out If any cattle are found without a
braud they are killed for the use of the men on the
round-up. This cutting is a work requiring great skill
and experience, and frequently requires the net of the
lariat Often cattle with a strange brand are found. If
any one recognises the brand, ranchman living nearest
the owner takes charge of it and notifies the owner. If
no one reoognixoe the brand the captain of the round-up
advertises it, and if no owner is found, it is sold at auc
tion for the benefit of the Cattlemen's Association.
"These things will go to show the responsibilities
resting upon these mon. I will toll you bow they get the
reputation for recklessness. We will suppose those men
have boon on a drive for six mouths and been paid off.
Then they are just like any other body of men; they go
in for some fun, and on their lark ride yelling through
the streets of some little town, shoot a few street lamps
out, or got into a saloon row. Borne imaginative oorre
etioudont immediately sends an account of it to some
Eastern pemr, where it coning out headed 'Another Cow
boy Outrage.' Now, I know of hundreds of eowboya who
never carry a revolver. They have strict ideas of honor,
snd they stand upon their honor. They are off duty
hit of big-hearted, rough boys, but they are not outlaws
or outcasts. They are not the class of men who rob
trains or bold up people crossing the plains, aud I believe
that, taken for all in all, the Amerioan cowboy will com
pare favorably in morals and manners with any similar
number of ciUseua, taken as a olaae." .