Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1881-08-23
MisfeIIarrfous.


How do you like herding cattle 20
asked Toronto Globe reporter of an old
drover Just home from Montana. II like
il we'll enough. but it is not the fine. easy
life most people suppose. The general
idea of . cowboy is a magnificent person
age with black moustache, dressed in a
suit of velvet, trimmed with silver fringe
and gold dollars, broad-brimmed hat,
surmounted by a waving plume of eagles
feathers, spurs, with rowels six inches
long, carrying a small arsenal of destruc-
tive weapons upon his person. and mount
ed upon magnificent coal-black or milk
white horse. Now this idea is all wrong.
The cowboy is just the same as any other
person. fits clothes would not stand in
revolver, but he does not always do 50.
His horse is pretty good animal. but it
will not begin to compare with an English
hunter. Finally, his spurs, not half as
long as represented hang on the horn Of
rounding up herd. tell you the boys
themselves and of their work.
What is cowboy" queried the re-
porter. "a COWBOY is man who herds
C01AtC. 1DCy 0tC t1iiEu COW-OOyS.
The cowboy may be sixteen or sixty
''What do you mean BY sounding up q
herd?'' Throughout the summer a
gang OF men are at work branding the
calves. There are usually three
men in gang. / am speaking
now OF how they do business in
Montana The country there is cut up
Int
cupied by herd Of cattle. When the
brandcrs enter one of the valleys. their
first business is TO drive all the cattle to-
gether in one place, so that the calves may
not be separated from the herd, This is
called rounding up the herd. and it re-
quires some pretty sharp riding to do IT,
Alter the herd Is rounded. the calves with
their mothers are separated from the herd.
daiven 10 a corral and branded.
BRANDING THE CATTLE.
This is comparatively easy work. as the
calves will not stampede, and the cows
will not leave them. Everything is called
a calf that is not branded. They are
branded by burning the owners mark on
them with hot irons. .'IIow Is it that in
correct reports Of your work get into the
papers ?" why, reporter is sent out
there. and instead Of taking a horse and
riding with the boys for few days. so
that he can see for himself wuat the work
is. and how it is performed. he will stay a
night at the campfire and talk with the
boys, drink some whiskcy. and 20 away
satisfied that he knows all about herding
and driving cattle. or course the boys tell
him all kinds of stories and he will pub
lish the whole thing. You cannot imagine
how ridiculous some of these stories are. -
DRIVING CATTLE TO MARKET.
What about driving cattle to markell"
THAT is quite different job. The drivers
start now drove seldom contains less
than 20OO head of cattle, or more than
5000 head. II. rs is frequently the case.
one man does not own 1000 head, two or
three men will join droves to make up the
required number. There is one man to
every 100 cattle up to 800, and one man
for every 800 after that But there must
be night gang as well as those who herd
In the dav. which doubles the number OF
men. They drive from ten to fifteen
miles day. the cattle being allowed to
take their own time"
"Do the cattle stampede very fire.
quently P" Not very often. but when
they do. IL is serious affair. They
usually stampede without any apparent
cause. | remember sitting on my horse
one night. everything quiet. and the cattle
mostly lying down. Suddenly an old
steer jumped up with loud snort. In
five seconds over four thousand head of
cattle were on their feet. with tails up. and
tearing over the prairie like ace-horses.
That was the worse stampede ever saw.
They ran fully eight miles before we
could get them stopped"
I" How do you stop them? ?" Turn
your horse and ride after them for all you
are worth. There is no sparing
horse-fesh then. If you happen to be in
the way OF the stampede. you have got to
turn mighty quick or you will get run
down. Luckily our horses are very sure
footed. When you have ridden few
miles you will catch up with the leaders
Of the stampede. Then you must turn
them. Ride along the outside leader and
crowd him in upon his neighbor. Keep
prodding and striking him and he viii
gradually turn from you. forcing the 9TH
crs to do the same. Then keep them
turning. and you will soon have the herd
running in circle. Once the circle is
formed you must crowd them on all sides.
gradually narrowing the circle until the
herd gets so jammed that it is impossible
for them to run. Then the stampede is
over. and neither you. your horse, or the
cattle are sorry. The cattle lie down. you
exchange your tired horse for fresh one.
and hut for the marks LEFT on the prairie
by the run, there is no sign that anything
unusual has happened. l should say that
each man usually has three horses"
"Hersiing, must then be very exciting
work ?" No. il is not. These ugly runs
occur very rarely, and in general our
work is rs dull and monotonous as you
could well imagine. Your boys who go
out west to herd cattle thinking it is all
fun, are usually sadly mistaken. "-7oron-