The Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1885-1886, 1886-06-03

No Glass OF Men In the World More Ut
terIy Contemptuous of Death-Dealing
with Unseen Danger-A Total Lack of
Military Discipline.
Doubtless your ears have Initiated, even
at this range to the vociferous trill Of the
cowboy, bowling to be let at 'em. This ex-
uberant knight Of the lariat has had to ask
several friends to hold him, right along, lest
he avalanche himself on the CORY hostile and
expunge the Apache race at one fell swipe
And the comical part Of it has been that a
good many worthy folks are impressed
thereby, and yesrn for the formation of
sundry cowboy companies, with super,ative
faith that so the problem should be solved
instantsr. The proposition has even been
wired to Washington
Now, the cowboy is good fellow in his
way, and it is a robust, anti-dude way, too.
| haven't word against him, but, on the
contrary, lively memory of many kind.
nes es at his hands He is no rougher than
most OF Us would become by the banging
about in these savage wildernesses His
virtues are more than few, and as virile
as his vices The wholesale damnaton piled
upon him by some virtuous people is not
only unjust but foolish AS an Indian
fighter, however, he is a rank failure He
gallops around at a safe distance, whoops
and swings his hat and shoots ito the mortal
detriment of space and paralyzes every
thing but the foe. If you fancy from this
that he is coward, you were never worse
fooled There is no class of men in the
world, presume, more utterly contemptu-
Gus of death. He will rub noses daily with
the bony old conquerer without twitch OF
the eyelid.
WILL FACE DANGERS HE CAN SEE
But hs wants to know about it to see his
game In the bar-room broil where the
friendly glass spills an ugly word, the word
is echoed back by bow, and the blow gets
answer in the flash of twenty revolvers-
there the cowboy is at home He will stand
like rock and face the murderous music OF
the ATS, his own barking back defiantly.
Shoot him full of holes and he will yet fetch
down his man. Here he is acauainted-in
his own phrase, he "savvies the burro" Blu,
| it is the danger that we know not of
which makes towards of us all" What
ever may be said to the contrary, the cow.
| boy knows nil about Indians 1t isn't hit
business A danger that he can see, he viii
| face like hero, but when it comes to hunt
| in which be has to deal with an invisible, al
unknown, and mysterious foe-he ism
| there don't blame HINT is simply hu
man. To lope or creep through a country
bleak, rugged and desolate beyond descrip
| ton; ami a silence heavy enough to breal
the heart; seeing no sign of life; yet know
| ing that any innocent tuft of bear grass
any cactus rosette any lonely rock may
without any warning, spit out its little puff
| of smoke witd a leaden message to you
heart-isn't it enough to make any one
leet'e shaky: Bravery alone is not an ade
guate stltfener-it takes use and acquaint
| ance.
| And there is another point wherein tn,
| cowboy is at loss. He is without dis
cipline, and without that all tie courage il
the world will not effect a soluier. 4
soldier he never will be- Discipline hin
and he would be no longer cowboy, for hi
absolute independence and individuality ar,
himself. If it would amuse any one to col
lect cowboys and hurl them at the evanes
cent Apache, probably there will be no OBJ
lection Neither cowboys or Indians vii
suffer, and there will be as much fun a
ism blood.-Fort Bowie IA. IT, Cor Inter
| Ocean