The Opelousas courier., 1886-01-09
LIFE AMONG THE COWBOYS
The Men Who Watch Cattle
On Western Ranges.
Their Unerring Workmanship Enmity to
Horse Thieves, and Other Traits.

Many undertake the business for
want of something to do in the way of
earning q living, but the majority ac-
cept their lives from choice. A better
race of fellows than the true, genuine
cowboy of the Northwest does not ex-
ist on the North American continent.
The average wages of a cowboy is
not very, good-$40 per month and
findings-but the life is exciting, and
the free, open exercise assures excel
lent health and perfect digestion,
which is better than all the wages they
could get. I accompanied a roundup
party last fall that secured the ranges
north of Miles City, and on that trip
learned many new points regarding
their lives, habits, and manner of liv-
ing, heretofore unknown to me. l
found that they endured hardships
that would have cost many men their
lives, and therefore became, by contin-
ual exposure, perfect types of physical
manhood.
They are unquestionably the finest
.,orscmen-i in the world, and are con-
stantly practising with rifles Or revolt
vers IN their .endeavors to become
dead shots, and they generally succeed.
Living in the saddle, they worship
their horses, and are perfectly happy
when on the backs of their animals
flying over the plains. During the
herding season sixty or seventy miles
IS an ordinary days ride. They are
brave, will share their last ration with
a stranger, never lie nor cheat, and
hate a horse thief. like they do the,
devil himself. Tt is a mistake to i'm
agine that cowboys are a dangerous
set. Any one is as safe with them as
with any people in the world, unless
he steals a horse or is hunting for a
fight. In their eyes death is mild
punishment for a horse stealer. In
deed, it is the highest crime known to
tho unwritten law. of ranching.
Nearly every horse thief strung up
last eason in Montana land there
were ffty-nine casualties of that sort
from April to october) was sent on
his last journey by cowboys. The
numerous vigilance committees were
composed almost exclusively of cattle
herders, who Waged a never ending
war of determination against horse
thieving rascals, until all the bands
were broken up or driven from The
Territory. Their life. habits, educa-
ton, and necessities breed this feeling
In them, ana they delight in appearing
rongfler than they actually are. TO a
te1derfoot Gall Eastern men or new
arrivals are called tenderfeetl they
love TO tell blood curdling stories. and
impress him with the dangers of the
frontier. But no man need get into a
quarrel with them unless he seeks it,
and then he will find the cowboy is
always prepared to shoot quicker than
chain lightning.
They also have a slang peculiar to
the range, and it is astonishing how
quickly Eastern bred and educated
people win drop into using it. Cow
boys often have interests in the herds
they are watching. and very frequent
" become owners. Of ranches. It is
the ambition Of their lives to become
herd owners themselves and employ
on as large q scale as possible other
cowboys to watch their cattle. Unless
you want to insult him never offer q
cowboy pay for any kindness he has
done or for d share OF his rude meal.
They prideIhemselnes.on their hospi-
iality and are exceedingly touchy on
all matters relating TO III The roughs
cir element OF The class have been i'm
the West nearly all their lives. and
many Of them are married 10 indian
squawa. Lots Of these fellows, who
life without q cent and lived in
Indian tepees for many years, wander
ing back and forth over the plains
with the various nomadic tribes, are
now rolling In wealth and control
cattle Interests in the Northwest.
/ know OF one individual who has
cattle grazing all over the South YaI-
loWstone ranges who did not own one
steer i've years ago. He can
scarcely write his own name, yet he Is
able TO buy and sell some Of your Wall
street nabobs. He spends most of his
time ii the saddle securing the ranges
and watching his various herds. a
good many cowboys are exercising
much wisdom in taking up land u2der
some one Of the Government land acts.
. great deal DC Montana soil il elassed
Is desert land and can be bought for
Is cents per acre down and the bal
of 81 on each acre at any time
three years.
Homesteads, I notice, are being
more freely entered of late. and in 4
years the whole of the vast bafa-
q RANGES nf the Nnrtfwast that we're