The Warner weekly sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1885, 1885-06-26

uCabeQ III an EASTERN COlleS6, Dub IOr
some reason had drifted to the cattle
plains of Texas and had become COW
boys. The elder was the captain of the
drive. Sitting about the campfire one
night the younger was very down heart
ed about something and finally said:
Charlie, let's throw up this drive.
don't want to go, / feel that n OF the
other of us will never 60 back. / am
ashamed of this, but / cannot shake it
off, His brother was impressed by his
seriousness, but could only say
George, here are 5000 cattle in my
charge. / could not leave them if !
knew that I would be killed tomorrow"
"A stampeder cried one of the men.
In an instant they were all at their an
imals, saddles were adjusted and away
they went. The captain gained the
head of the drive and had succeeded In
turning them a little when his horse
stumbled. In another instant horse
and rider could hardly have been dis
tinguished from one another. So you
see there is some responsibility upon
the men.
"These wild cattle away from homes
are as variable as the wind, and when
frightened are as irresistible as an ave-
lanche. The slightest thing stampedes
them. For instance: We have rounded
up the drive and the cattle are lying
down. / am one of the men detailed TO
ride around them. Finding them all
quiet / get off my horse to light my
pipe. Relieved of my burden the
horse rests himself by a shake. The
whole drove are on their feet in an in
slant, listening to discover from what
quarter the noise came. No n can
foresee which way they will make the
break, and only the utmost of self
possession and good Judgment on the
part of the men on duty will prevent a
general stampede. This is the class OF
men cowboys are made Of, and never
knew of many instances where they
failed to do their duty"
The enthusiastic Texan had %
warmed up to his subject, and when ask
ed Where are the cowboys recruit
ed from? 2" replied
From all parts of the world. Some
from the plains, where their toys in in
fancy are the miniature lariat and a
shotgun. Some from Mexico with
many oftheir half Indian characteristics,
and many from the East. / know 9
dozen college graduates who are cow
boys, and have become so infatuated
with the life that i suppose they viii
never leave it until the final grand
roundup.
"There is another interesting period
in tho 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 get
away 100 miles or SO. Each ~cattle-own-
or has his W particular brand on his
cattle. Well, the ranchmen In scsae
natural division Of the country will or
gani2e q grand roundup in the spring.
The cowboys will drive the cattle all
in together in M big drove. Then the
captain Of the roundup will direct tbs
owner OF ranch A to cut out his cattle.
| One of AS most experienced men will
then ride into the drive until he sights
an animal with his brand on. Deity he
will drive the animal to the out
er edge of the herd, and then
with o quick dash runs the beast out
away from the drove, and ii is taken in
charge by others Of AS ranchmen, while
the cutter goes back after another. After
some fifteen or twenty minutes As cut
ter will be taken off and BIS man given
q chance. This will be continued until
each ranch has it's cattle cut out. III any
cattle are found without a brand they
are killed for the use OF the men on the
rounds up. This cutting ii o work re-
quiring great skill and experience and
frequently requires the use of the lariat.
Often cattle with q strange brand are
found. If any one recognizes the
brand, q ranchman living nearest the
owner takes charge of and notifies the
owner. If no one recognizes the BRAND
the captain of the roundup adyertises
il, and if no owner is found, it is sold at
auction for the benefit Of the Cattle
mems Association.
aThese things will go to show the re-
possibilities resting upon these men.
They have to be men of integrity and re-
liability, and their labors are such that
you can readily they caunot very
dissiptaed. I will tell you
how they get the reputation
for recklessness. We will sup
pose these men have been on q drive for
six months and have finished 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 stl sets Of some little town, shoot q
few street lamps out or get into a saloon
row. 1t is no more than a band of col
lege boys at Harvard. or Cornell, or
Princeton might do and frequently do,
but some imaginative correspondent
Immediately sends it to some
Eastern paper, where it comes
out headed another cowboy out
rage and giving a wholly fictitious
account of the battle between the out
Iouo 81 tha c;f;vans Nnu r. Ennw "a