Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1885-06-29
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Ground by the fire. each man with his can
Of coffee. his fragrant slice of fried bacon
on the poiut of his knife-blade. or sand
witched in between two great hunks Of
bread. rapidly disappearing before the
onslouphts Of appetites made keen by the
pure. inyigorating breezes of these high
J plains. See that brawny fellow with the
crisp. tight-curling yellow hair growing
low down on the nape of his massive neck
rising straight and supple from the low
! collar of his loose flannel shirt, his sun
Drowned face with the piercing gray eyes
looking out from under the broad brlm
of his hat, his lower limbs clad in the
heavy "chaps''-or leather overalls-
stained a deep reddish-brown by long use
and exposure to wind and weather, his
revolver in its holster swinging from the
cartridge filed belt, and his great spurs
4 tinkling at every stride, as, having drained
the last drop of coffee. he puts down tne
can. and turns from the fire toward the
horses. picking up as he goes the huge
heavy leather saddle, with its high POM
mel and streaming thongs of raw-hide.
that has served him as pillow during the
night. Quickly his ''cayuse" is saddied.
the great broad hair. rope girths tightly
..sinched, !" the huge bit slipped into the
unwilling mouth, and with a bound the
active fellow is in the saddle. Paw, pony,
paw turn your eyes till the whites show !;
| Law your pointed ears back squeal and
| kick to your hearts content. Oh, buck
away! you have found your master for
the struggle does not last long. The
practiced hand, the heavy spurs. and
singing whip soon repeat the almost
daily lesson, and with one last wicked
shake of the head the wiry "cayuse"
breaks into his easy lope, and away 60
horse and rider to their appointed station
on the flank of the great drove.
The others soon follow, camp is broken.
the wagon securely packed ready for the
road, and the work of the day commences.
The cattle seem to know what is coming.
On the edges of their scattered masses
the steers lift their heads and gaze,
half stupidity, half frightened. at the
flying horsemen; as the TANKS are turned
they begin closing in toward one another.
moving up in little groups to common
centre. Now and then a steer or some
young bull, more headstlong or more
terrified than his comrades, breaks away
and canters off clumsily over the prairie.
In moment he is pursued, headed off,
turned, and driven in toward the herd
again. As they "close in mass'--to use
an apt military phrase-''rounded up'' on
all sides by the swift-riding cowboys.
they are gently urged onward by the driv-
ers in the rear. until the whole herd is
slowly moving forward, feeding as they
90 in loose wide column, headed toward
the break IN the mountains that indicates
the mouth of the canon through which it is
to pass.
Gradually the prairie is crossed; quietly
and gently the nervous brutes are crowded
more closely together; two or three of the
men gallop on ahead to the opening of the
pass, guarded by two cone-shaped mounds
like redoubts thrown out to protect the
entrance to the Businesses of the noun
tains, in order to head off stragglers and
to turn the leaders of the herd into the
narrow trail that runs in between the high,
tree.covered, rocky walls of the canon.
5000! So '! gently gently! push, boys,
push in from both sides, curb your horses,
keep them quiet. So so drive slowly
from the rear, press on slowly. yet firmly.
until the head of the herd enters the pass.
Patter patter patter ! the rushing, CON
fused roar of hundreds OF hoofs striking
the hard road-bed. queer sound. filling
the air with low yet penetrating noise,
like the falling of millions of hailstones
on dry leaves. no the heavy and sharp
ringing tramp of iron-shod horses, but
shuffling, soft, although distinctly marked
muffled rolling, something like that pro-
duced by the distant passage of heavily
freight train. Slowly, irrestlbly onward
through the wild canon-the frowning
walls OF sandstone and gigantic pines tow
ering on one side, on the other and below,
rushing and foaming over its rough bed, the
river pushing forward like stream of
| liquid lava from some vomiting crater, long
drawn out in crowded, dense column on
the narrow. winding trail, moves the
mighty herd. A thick, smoke-like cloud
of yellow dust-through which the sun.
light breaking lights up the tangle of
horns, swaying andtossing in the distance
like foam cresting the angry pillows OF
some dark. storm-lashed torrent-hovers
above; heavy, swedish odor fills the
air; and mingling with the pattering rush
of the boots and the roar of the stream.
comes the occasional booming below of
some frightened steer.
Very slowly and cautiously the herd
moves forward; sometimes there is halt
in front; those in the rear crowd up more
closely; very gently and with soothing
cries, the experienced cowboys urge them
on again. 1t is ticklish work. for mo.
mentary panic may drive scores of them
down the precipltous sides of the noun
tain. Already this morning an unfortu-
nate steer, pushed in sudden, panickv
rush OF his companions over the edge of
the trail, has fallen down into the foam
ing torrent, and been dashed to death on
the jagged rocks hundred feet below
Riding slowly in the rear. look along the
trail and over the backs of the advancing
cattle up the canon ahead Sometimes
the road descends until the stream ticks
the earth at its side. spreading in little
shallow pools across it. sometimes cutting
through it, as it curves abruptly around
some point Of rocks, only to recross it
again further on.
And now the canon widens, and succeed
ing the high rock walls and great trees.
its sides gradually merge into gently ris.
ing, grass-covered slopes; the river, too.
is broader. its surface shining like polished
silver, and betraying its onward move
ment only by an occasional soft ripple
and low lap-lap of the water against its
overhanging banks, from which, breathing
out the sweet fragrance of thousands Of