The Bad Lands cow boy. [volume] (Little Missouri, Dakota [i.e. N.D.]) 1884-1886, 1885-11-19

the piercing gray eyes looking out from
under the broad brim Of his hat, his legs
clad In the heavy "chapps" or leather
overalls, stained deep, reddish brown
by long use and exposure to wind and
weather, his revolver in its holster
swinging from the cartridge-flled belt,
and his great spurs tinkling at every
stride, as, having drained the last drop
Of coffee, he puts down the can and turns
from the fire towards the horses, picking
up as lie goes the huge, heavy leather
saddle with its high pommel and stream:
ing thongs Of raw-hide, that has served.
him as a pillow during the night.
Quickly his "cayuse" is saddled; tile.
great broad hair-rope girths tightly
i"cincfed," the huge bit slipped into the
unwilling mouth and with a bound the
active fei low is in the, saddie. paw.
ponyy paw; turn yuuf eyes All tho;wilises
show; lay your pointcd ears back saqpeaI.
and kick to- your hearts content. OH
buck away! You hove found your master
forthe struggle does not last long. The
practiced hand, the heavy spurs and
stinging quirt soon repeat the almost
daily lesson, and with one last shake Of
the head, the Wiry .tcayuse" breaks into
his easy lope, and away go horse and
rider to their appointed station on the
flank of the great drove. s,. i. .c'
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 edgesof their scattered masses
the steers lift their heads and gaze, half
stupidity, half frightened, at the flying
horsemen; as the fanks are turned they
begin closing in toward one another,
moving up in little groups to common
center. Now and then steer or some
young bull, more headstrong or more
terrified than his comrades breaks away
and canters off clumsily5 over the prairie.
In a moment he is pursued, headed off,
turned, and driven in towards the herd
again. As they "close in mass" to use
an apt military phrase, "round up" on
all sides by the swift-riding cowboys,
they are gently urged onward by the
drivers in the rear, until the whole herd
is slowly moving forward, feeding as
they go, in, a loose wide column, headed
toward the break in tile mountain that
indicates tho mouth of the canon through
which it is to pass.
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 tftklish work, for a
niomentary panic may drive scores Of
them down the precipitous sides Of the
mountain. 2Ss;3t.,s 81 @ 3. 4
& And now the canon Widens,. and, sue
ceeding the high rock, walls and great
trees, its sides. gradually merge into
gently rising, grass-ceyered slopes; the
river, too, is broader, its surface shining
like polished silver, and betraying its
onward movement only by an occasional
soft ripple and low hp.aap Of. the wafer
against its oyerlanging banks, from
Which, breathing out the sweet frag-
rance of thousands ofnewly opened buds.
the wild rose bushes hang down their
slender branches. Away up the slopes,
dancing and nodding their pretty heads
in the soft breeze, the gayly colored wild
flowers, yellow sunhowers, daisies, blue
harebells, mingle their bright lues,
melting into one another on the distant
round hill-tops, covering them as with
q carpet of the softest yelvet.-[R R. +.
Zogbaum, in Harper's Magazine.