San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1882-06-22
THE COWBOY PROPER.
w,steru Cattle hsrders as Distinguished nom inc
"Rustlers" Who Belle them.
Macon. dA, Telegraph.

/ WV -'N''N
Macon. Ga. Telegraph.
Very general interestin cowboys ah'
their calling being excited by receh
events in Arizona, possibly you ma.
lind space for some explanations uhue
the above caption, Having Tor SOM
wears been a cowboy himself, and draw
cowboys pay, and endured the y,icissi
tudes of camp life, the writer know
practically whereo: he writes.
Who, then, are cowboys? The nam'
cowboy originated in Texas, and is ap
Piled to those hired to herd and handle
cattle raised wild on the prairies. Inc
life being outdoor and full OF hardship
and danger, requires healthy, wiry
active man to endure it. Nearly all o.
those who follow it for wages are young
men, hence the name cowboys. Catti'
man and stockman is the more digni
fed term used in referring 10 cattit
owners and live stock raisers. In Ole
Mexico, California, Nevada and Arizo'
ma, where Spanierds are largely EN-
ployed in the business, and where span
ish is more or less spoken, the COWBOY
is called Vaquero, bar Kay ra, COW,
herd. In Buenos Ayres and the vas,
pampas of South America, on account
of his nomadic life, he is called Qua
cho, g,cah.chO q motherless, fatherless'
homeless one. In Colorado, Wyoming
and nearly all the Rocky Mountain gra'
zing region, he goes by the ridiculous
name of cowpuncher. In Australia ne
is called stockrider.
Cowboys working on the range are
called rangemen: those hiring to drov'
ers to drive herds over the trail to mar.
ket, or some shipping point, are called
trailmeE. The main duties OF range,
man are to break broncos (tame wild
horses) lasso, trim, brand, mark and
herd cattle.
The principal duty of a trailman is to
herd and drive cattle on the trail. Inns
in large herds requires experience ana
Judgment, so that the cattle may. reach
their destination in good condition.
A full range outfit consists OF fore
man, Gin California called Padron,) a
cook, day horse herder, and from four
to eight cowboys. This force is sutfi-
cient to handle from 5000 to S,OOO
head of cattle on the range, according
to the smoothness or roughness OF the
country.
A full trail outfit consists of foreman,
cook, householder, two pointers, two
fiankers, and four drivers. With this
force from 1000 to 1,50O OF western
cattle, and from 1000 to 5000 head, II
Colorado natives or Texans can be driv-
en- over the trail at an average speed OF
eight or ten miles a day and to dis
lance of 500 to 1000 miles. For short
distances q speed of twelve to twenty
miles per day is often attained. Wheth'
er on range or trail, the cowboy has sui
fcient always of danger and hardship
to endure, but it is on the long drives"
over the trail, often lasting over six
that all the grit and sand in his
nature are needed to enable him to
"stay with it" till the drive is done.
Between hard riding all day, sleepless
hours on guard around the herd at night,
rain, hail, snow, frost, blistering hot
days on the treeless plains, binding,
dust, half blind bucking po-
MES, stampedes, the possibility of los
ing his scalp, sometimes short ratlons,
and almost daily stagnant alkaline wa.
ter, the trail man needs to be made OF
good leather to last well.
Whether on range or trail, each cow
boy has spotted" out to him, for his
own exclusive riding, from three to SIX
ponies. These, like the cattle, are al
lowed to grow wild and free on the
range till caught to be broken. They
seldom become entirely gentle, but are
always more or less wild and intracta-
BILE. Whenever needed for use they
have to be "roped" Qassoed,) and every
mothers son of them will buck when
,ver it feels fresh and lively. This
oucking is a vice peculiar to the western
horse. The writer has never seen a
horse bred east of the Mississippi river
buck. Bucking consists of bowling up
,he back, lowering fine head, and jump
ng stiff-legged, just as buck deer
loes when killing a snake-hence the
name. fan inexperienced rider is sub
ected to severe bucking, he is apt to
wish he had never been born. The
ar is simply agony, and riders have
sometimes suffered conclusion of the
brain, bleeding of the lungs, and died
rom bucking. From so to 125 head of
ponies, according to size, are sufficient
or an outfit. They are small, and it is
simply astonishing how the diminutive
little grass fed ponies will carry a rider
md riding rig-about 200 to $50 lbs
III day long in a sweeping lope that
covers easily forty to sixty miles. There
re several breeds of them, prime fav-
rites among which are the Mustang of
california and Texas, aud the Indian
,ony of the northwest.
The method of raising and handling
Wild cattle may be briefly stated thus:
n winter the cattle, unherded and IN |