Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1886-04-24
THE COLORADO SHEPHERD.
Hard Life of the Tender Of FIocks in the
Rocky Mountains.


One dark, freezing January evening,
before our cheerful lamps we're lighted,
| stood looking out OF the window, an
upstairs easement commanding an ex-
tended view, and saw far, far in the
southwest a ilickering light.
"What was it?" inquired. "Could
light from a farm house penetrate
such distance?" They told me it was
the sheep herder's light and that he was
likely at that moment, (f he was lucky
in having corraled his noclS) lying prone
on the frozen earth, sleeping or trying
to.
Fancy, ever fugative, went from my
keeping, my thoughts wandered, and
would not be stayed. Away from the
lighted room, the music, and the glad
voices, was on my lonely way to the
shepherds corral. Over the dark, still
river, up through the wide gate of the
mountain, past the frozen sage-bush,
and the stopped, dwarlted pines my
erratic Inauguration journeyed. Not
alone, however, for sympathy which
makes the world akin, went out also to
the lonely unsheltered man. / saw the
dark side of the mountain, the blazing
canopy of stars and the silent, hurdled
flock, I felt the stiffness, the piercing
cold and the great weight of solitute. /
was conscious of the ruddy fire, the
only sign of activity in all the vast, still
picture, and STOPPING close beside it,
the miserable figure OF the herder.
His meagre supper of bacon and a crust
OF bread dispatched, the restless flock
asleep, there is nothing on which he
can dwell but his own thoughts. They
must be sorrowfully poor. Scant in
deed, must be the resources within
himself; his faculties for better part
barren, and unrecognized. The man
driven to the groveling life OF follow
ing sheep over the unfriendly rocky
mountains must be by birth, or hard
circumstances, bereft OF all. The COM
forting family intercourse is rendered
impossible. No glowing fires beckon
him with the evening. Solitude and
discomfort claim that blessed time.
For him no merriment at the Plaza
comes with the night-hll. Day after
day trudging alone the stony ways or
hiding in the cleft OF the rocks to screen
him from the biting wind, with his bur-
den of blankets and heard bread strap
ed to his back, he follows his charge,
himself just one degree from them.
Since that January evening when the
distant light sent me so suddenly to
thinking, have followed with great
fidelity the sheep herder's life Follow
ed it with the fire and interest with
which few subjects enthuse me. ]
have cleaned more that is painful than
astonishing. | have formed more gem
uine subble in his path than usually
falls to the lot of mortals. | have dis
covered that nearly all the sheep her
ders in this country are Mexicans.
None the less human for that; none the
less insensible to the cold and absence
OF companionship. None the less wor-
thy of the unqualified pity of more
favored beings. have discovered that
they are poorly clad and are usually
provided against the cold with one blan-
ket. And such cold! where the ther-
mometer with no effort, drops to 26'
below zero. I also learn that they fol
low this killing life Tor seventy-six dol
lars year; or something over six dol
lars month.
Do they think? In their long, tire
some marches have they intellect
enough to assert ITSELF and to wonder
and be lost in speculation II could
Iwould gladly argue no. To strip them
OF the power to think, would be the ten.
derest mercy. The man forced to such
life, should be machine, with nc
inclination to reason or complain. No
knowledge is necessary, save to recog.
ize the juicy ranges and hither bring
the flock, where for days they may lin
ger satisfied. How then fares the shep.
herd2 Rich in sweet botanical love
he could class the strange, wild flower,
and add to and ornament the science
Thus he could merge hours into days
of busy forgetfulness. A student Of the
stars, he could wrap him in his scanty
blanket and in the silent watches OF the
night commune with the passing con
stellations.
"But knowledge to their eyes her ample
| page,
Rich with the spoils oftlme did 'neer unrol.'
Born in low dug-out and reared
perchance by father intoxicated wher
| means wOuld allow IN ipata povartv n