Northern tribune. [volume] (Cheboygan, Mich.) 1875-1885, 1876-04-15
THE HERDSAIAN'S LIFE.
An Interesting Letter From w. W. Strohn.
Correspondence OF the NORTHERN TRIBUNE.
ll FORT MCKOvETTE, TEXAS,


l FORT MCKOvETTE, TEXAS,
II 81 March 30, 1876.
The adaptibility with which a person
is apt to accommodate himself to the sur
roundings he may happen to be in is
somewhat remarkable. Had any one
told me before left Cheboygan that
would become habituated to sleeping on
the ground i'm blanket, and during the
prevalence of the equinoxtial storms, /
would hardly have anticipated the pros
poets with much pleasure. have found.
however, more uncomfortable beds than
the ground, and the most disagreeable
events of my camping experience. is be-
ing obliged to take refuge in the wagon
when the rain falls heavy enough to wet
our covering through. ietsa 3.
The climate in this section is, in my es
timation, remarkable for its curative quail
tiles, and you will probably think the
same, when 1 tell you that since starting
OH this trip we have had three or four
nights with cold intense enongh to form
ice from one half inch to two inches thick.
and although have slept on the ground
all through it, / did not tin.l that suf
fered any more than would within doors
i'm Michigan, from insufficient covering.
and in no instance has my experience
been attended with colds or other indis-
positions of which was so susceptible
when at home from like causes. 1t is
now just twenty five days since we moved
out of camp and started OH our road to
Kansas, and thus far We havegone along
without any accident or mishap not pecu.
liar to this business. Our line of travel
has been from Il point forty miles east OF
Eagle Pass, On the Rio Grandc, up
through the Niece canon to the head OF
the stream, thence north to Fort McKo-
vette, which place | am writing from
and which we reached this morning.
The country through which we passed
being very rocky and rough, our horses
are nearly broken down, and rest for a
few days has become necessity. Dur
ing the night of the 25th inst. heav y
thunder storm came up. accompanied by
hurricane, which caused stampede
among our cattle, Obliging the drivers
/ including myself, TO remain i'm the saddle
all night to prevent the herd from scat
| tering beyond recovery. NOtwithStand-
| ing our efforts. between 800 and 600 got
| away, but think we will be successful
i'm recovering all of them. some of Ou1
best hunters being OH the trail, and have
already sent in the greater portion OF
them.
TO the uninitiated the har.lships pccu-
liar to the life of cattle driver, or as
they are more commonly called. "cow-
boys" would appear not calculated to
| sweeten the temper, and it was under
! this impression awaited the coming to
camp OF my drivers the morning after the
storm. was somewhat surprised. how
ever, to hear them whooping and yelling
very much after the manner of the Indi-
ans, whom they resemble to a considera-
BILE degree, and apparently as happy rs if
nothing had happened out of the ordina-
ry course of their experience, although
some OF them had not slept for more
than thirty hours, the greater portion of
the time being spent i'm the saddle.
The "cow-bOy" is decided feature in
Texas frontier life. Made up of strong
attachments and antipathies, fully inn
pressed with the idea that all that is
worth living for, and the only place to
make living, is centcred i'm Texas, and
i'm the cattle business. He looks upon a
person from the North. or from the more
settled parts of Texas, with feelings akin
to pity, mingled with curiosity. Thor
Oughly convinced that i'm Mexican is
concentrated all the villainy of which a
human being is supposed to be capable
and that any means, fair or foul, are to
be resorted to in order to get even with
the yellow gentlemen from beyond the
Rio Grande.
During the prevalence of the storm the
other night, and amid the excitement in-
cident thereto, my satchel, containing
my Colts revolver, belt, scabbard, comb,
and in fact my whole available wardrobe.
disappeared and have not since been
| found. Suspicion Immediately fell upon
a Mexican connected with our company,
and a proposition was made to suspend
the man from tree, in order to extOrt
from him a confessions as to where he had
secreted the property, but myself and one
other not entertaining the idea, it was
net executed. The supposed culprit has
been placed under surveillance, the men
being pretty generally convinced, how
ever, that he is the thief, and that he will
| stop on his way back and recover the
property from where he hid 1t, i'm some
bush or thicket, heintending to leave lis
at this point and return. The eXultant
cheerfulness displayed by the different
members OF the company while the exc
cutiOn of Mexican was i'm prospect, and
the reluctance with which they aban-
dOned the project, convinced me that a
Texans estimate of a Mexican is not
high, and that if the said Mexican is III
any degree nervous or subject to heart
disease, this is not healthy country fol
him.
After remaining in this vicinity few
DAYS to recupcrate men and horses, we
will proceed Oh towards Red river, UiO
Forts ChadbOwen, Griffin and Belknap
along the western frontier of Texas, and
consequently nearer the Indians at times
than is entirely safe for our horses, pen
chant for those quadrupeds being among
the many weaknesses of the ''nOble red
man." We shall probably reach the
southern line of the Indian Nations May
10th, and reach Kansas by June 10Th.
This manner of living has great de-
gree of novelty about it, which month !:
experience has not yet entirely worn off
find my health continues good, rather
improving l trust, every one tells me
that am getting fat, but as mirrors are
scarce. BARRIERS not indigenous to the sol
and the photographer not in reach, yOu
will have to draw upon your imagination
for a description of my personal appear
ance. hope this will find all my friends
well and prOspering. -
Fort McKovette is second class mill
tary post, every thing about it neat ant