Connecticut western news., 1876-08-11
HERDING ON THE PLAINS.
A GreenhOrn in the Saddle of a California BrOnchO--The Annual Rounding Up and Branding of Cattles

A Greenhorn in the Saddle of a California 1
 Broncho--The Annual Rounding Up and
 Branding of Cattle.
 The grazing facilities of Colorado, which are not interrupted the year round, even during the most severely
 intense colds of the winter, bring into
 pleasing prominence at this particular
 season the system of annual round
 ups," which bring such joy into the
 COW boys and herders' hearts, and
 which are the Longchamps of the prai-
 ries for the stock growers and the ranch
 mems bronchos; for then they nerve
 themselves for miles on miles of swift
 riding and dexterous curvetting, and
 their only alternative is to answer with
 unfailing readiness every plunge of the
 spur and every check or turn of the rein.
 This whole Territory seems to be one
 vast pasture field for the hundreds of
 thousands of cattle that are owned and
 raised here. Good succulent hay, thick
 meadow, and huge tufts of buffalo grass
 are everywhere to be found, even be-
 meath the snows, and upon these the
 cattle, horses, sheep, etc., subsist boun-
 tifully in consequence no winter
 provender is provided, and stock is al-
 lowed to roam at will during the year,
 eating whatever congenial food the fields
 afford, drinking at the creeks, springs
 and rivers, and finding shelter in the ra-
 vines or valleys of the rolling prairies.
 Often fierce storm sweeps thousands
 of head before it away to the Arkansas
 river on the south, or the Platte on the
 north, and not infrequently one mans ! herd will be found divided into portions
 one hundred miles apart. This renders l it necessary that, in order to ascertain
 the increase, and for the purpose ot
 branding calves, there should be an an
 nual roundup of the cattle in each di- vision or district, ard 8 subsequent di-
 vision of the same to the various owners. I was much pleased the other day, says correspondent, whom Messrs. Tiff and Hittson, the cattle kings of the
 West, invited me to attend one of the annual round-ups of their stock. The cattle kings have their headquarters at Deer Trail, about fifty miles east oi Denver, on the Kansas Pacific road l There are immense corrals for the cattle l attended by 200 laborers.
 A mile or two below the settlement, 1T 7 beautiful little valley, the cattle were 7 to be collected, and 200 or more hardy , riders started over the prairies in all di rections. Our party went on 8 lope tt
 the springs and creeks 10 the south The cattle could be seen every rywhere o1 2 the hills and in the lowlands in herds O. 9 from fifty to five hundred, and they in s variably broke and run at our approach l. Then follows spurt of speed that would 7 rattle anybody but cowboy to death il 3 his saddle. Up the sides of the rolling 9 hills and down the other; helter skelte J across the intervening prairie lands; nov ], and then dashing across the dried be- ' of creek, or tearing up the precipitou
 wall of an abrupt gulch; frequently il
 imminent danger of going over you d broncho's head when he stumbles into ). prairie dogs hole; stopping your anima n at full speed, wheeling like flash o n lightning, and hurrying back to you @ former tracks; lodging here and there F, with head bent down to the pony s fyin a main; twisting and turning as the ru1 e ming herd twists and turns. Such is tn n excitement of rounding cattle on tn
 vast Western prairies. Utterly disre X gardless of the danger to life and linn e in this reckless horsemanship, with hi IT sombrero brim Tapping in the wind, an {. his short whip constantly cracking; an ,s wild halloo upon his lips, the cowbo B. seems to enjoy this sort of thing, an 9t can sit down to his meals after this har " riding with the same ease and unco1 v- cern as though he hadn't seen saddl ir that day.
 is We rounded about LOGO head the fir
 day, and having staked our ponies, r. o posed on the grass for the night. B' ~ ~ fore midnight heavy storm arose. M ,a companions were to their feet almo 70 70 on the instant of the fall of the first raj i ;,, drop, and into the saddle without 8 m a- ment's delay. The cattle were surrounde' \. but to no avail. When the wind bley io as it can blow only on the plains. tl ,. 1r cattle were away before it to the soul al .d on laundering gallop. Every ms ~ ~. broke for the front to head the herd o1 +' ,t but on they swept. The darkness w ,o terrible, and nothing could be seen b. 4ee the dark, moving mass of cattle, al eo o nothing heard but the dismal chatter ,,.' their hard hoofs on the sand. III ho, lightning flashes but faintly reveal' " Q them through the falling torrents of u +,o rain; and when it did, it was only n1 ,,a view the bent heads and straight bac 1' of the flying creatures. The herd h.
 stampeded, and on the following nor ,n ing new round up" was foul Io necessary.
 1r ie Five days suficed to gather all t II II cattle, and the selection of each ma1 F property was begun. This is call u9 s9 C cutting," and it requires great skill lo 1 the management of the horse or po7 :u' you are riding. The cowboy rides in :n- :n- the inclosure and cuts off the anim l' tUe which he instantly recognizes from " main herd, and repeats this process U lo lo til he has secured all of his maste 'm 'm property. Then it is driven home, 6 m mrls the calves branded. The cattle g e9 e again turned loose to subsist on wh 9n 9n ever nature provides for them.
 los m The pleasures of the roundup ea with it's night herding and camp Ii n1 a1 are unsurpassed, and for genuine sa ch ta pie of roughing it in it's most inviti U phases are unsurpassable. All class no and grades of men are huddled togetl "s here, and the characteristics of Weste lan l life are brought into almost obtrus 'uI prominence, and invariably make to vorable impression upon the visitor. oo A Nocturnal Meal,
 mn 1