Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1885-10-11
Happy Montana Cnwpunchers.


For the past few days have been
punching cows with the northern Mon
tana cowboys; that is. they call It
cowboy would call it picnicking. They
round up little bunch Of cows in the
morning, brand the calves by noon.
and then lie around on buffalo robes In
their palatial tents, and read novels or
amuse themselves as they see fit. Gam
blep Why. yesterday l saw $500
change hands on scrub pony race. II
someone had entered brindlo Texas
COW would have backed her for my
entire Doodle, and won. too, by the
holy poker, for neither Of the ponies
could have headed Spanish COW. 1t
would delight the average Texas cow
boy to be hired by Montana cowmau,
and there shown his horses from which
he was to select his mount-great big,
tallowy horses. sleek as livery horses,
and very few Of them but what are
gentle as a dog. And may add that
when Montana cowboy gets back
from q roundup, his horses are still
fat.
In the first place he has plenty of
them, and these men do not allow their
hands to dash horses around just for
the fun of the thing. And the cattle
here are so different from what they
are in Texas that there is really very
little hard riding to do. Boys who
have worked on both ranges say that
while the average Texas COW pony can
not compare with his Montana brother
as to looks, yet when it comes to doing
hard work. and a heap of it, he is far
superior to the latter. He Is quicker
and harder, and better adapted to Just
such work. In the past four days l
have seen over seven thousand horses
that have been on the work for over
month and there is not one OF them
but what is mud fat. Live! Why these
cowboys live higher than anybody.
They have everything to eat that mon
ey can buy, and a cook with paper
cap on to prepare it. The cook is so
neat and polite that you could eat him
if you were right hungry; but, in fact.
do not believe he would object il you
would attempt to do so. He is too
well bred, too obliging, to object to
anything you desire to do. They have
fresh beef all the time. One man kills
beef. keeps a quarter, and sells the
rest to the other outfits that are along.
That is not strange. for remember that
beef here is worth about $50. Cow
boys get about the same wages here as
they do in Texas, but one dollar in
Texas will buy as much as three in
Montana, ana the boys only get about
three or four months work in the year.
Say, do you know that away up in
this high altitude we hardly have any
night at all at this time of yearp The
sun just seems to loiter along in the
sides OF the mountains and forgets to
go down until you get discouraged and
90 to bed and leave him do as he
pleases about it. But you can safely
bet that he will be attending to bus
mess at the old stand bright and early
next morning. 1t is not good dark
here until II o'clock, and at half-past
2 daylight begins to appear. Up lit
tie higher on the mountains it even
beats that record. Two boys went up
on high peak about 10 o'clock the
other afternoon just TO watch the sun
monkey about a while. One stood on
the western edge of the peak to see him
90 down, and the other watched the
eastern side to see him rise. After
some time the one on the west said:
There he goes down, Jim; guess it's
about supper time"
'Yes, durn him, here he comes"
was the reply. land We might as we'll
go to breakfast"
It's all nice enough to poke fun at
the boys up here, but you can't buy a
herd of average Montana cattle for $50
per head. And then when they apply
branding-iron to calf on this range
it is about the same as stamping $40
gold pece.-lerds Liue- Stock J0ur,suL.