The Wahpeton times., 1889-05-02
Acow--soY.s a TALK.
cassius Reynolds. an Old Cow
Boy, Speaks Of Early Life on the

s. Acow-sov..s TALK.
cassius Reynolds. an Old Cow
Boy, Speaks Of Early Life on the
Ranges.
The cowboy from the west, If intelli-
gent at all, can make himself interest
ing in the tales of western life and in
cidents of the plains, At present tho
Leland has for guest Cassius Rey-
nolds, who has been on the trail fifteen
years. and has the credit of having
brought the largest herd OF cattle-10,-
600 head-from Oregon to Nebraska
that has ever been handled. Reynolds
makes his home and headquarters at
Fremont, Neb.. but he buys and "runs'
his cattle through the season in Oregon.
The feat mentioned above was accom-
plished at time when there was much
danger from the redskins, and that
Reynolds should bring so many such a
distance has always been considered
remarkable. His modesty proved a
barrier to eliciting any details of the
trip beyond the mere fact that in going
through Idaho he was attacked by q
band of Indians on the war path, but
by the pluck and determination of his
cowboys the reds were driven off and
the destination was reached in safety
with the loss of but few cattle. In
speaking about getting ready to start
east MIR. Reynolds several times alluded
to ''the round up" He said in expla-
nation of this term:
'The expression is purely one of
western ranch life and means a great
deal. One often hears about cowboys
rounding up some cattle, but that is
very simple, and consists merely in
backing the broncos and herling few
head OF cattle that have been grazing
close at home and driving them into a
corral. A very different affair from
rounding up is the round up. This is
the great occasion of the plains, so far
as ranching is concerned. The prepa-
ratlons for it are extensive. for the
work to be done is arduous and i'm
portant. In the pursuit of their busi-
ness ranchmcn arc obliged to seel, tho
plains of the far West where plowshare
has as yet left untouched tho natural
grass, and thousands of acres lie un-
broken by the presence of the cultiyat-
ed farm. Here, unrestrained, vast
herds of cattle are allowed to run at
will, left to themselves to pick and
Craze all through the summer months,
the keepers never giving a thought as
to their whereabouts. These keepers
live in camps and form small-sized
village. passing the time in eating,
drinking and sleeping. Each separate
camp is the owner or keeper of hum
dreds OF head. and, though they all ruin,
together, no difficulty is experienced
in each claiming his own, and, strange
to say, it is seldom one is missing. It
is this getting the cattle together that
is called the roundup. The day is
set, and all the camps are notified to
be in readiness. Agencral rendezvous
is settled upon, and then each camp is
stationed ut different points of the
compass, forming circle around that
central point. At daybreak in
each camp the cook prepares a
hearty breakfast, after which the
cowboys ride at breakneck speed
over the country to certain stated
points. and from there they begin a
gradual closing in, driving all the cat
tie in sight before them to the central
rendezvous. When they have come
together vast herd Of cattle number
ing perhaps some six to eight thousand
head are gathered together. Here be-
gins an interesting piece of work called
cutting out, and it consists in separa-
ting cows with calves by their sides
from the rest and driving them into a
corral. A cowboy rides headlong
among the terrified cattle and, catch
ing sight of his employers brand upon
COW, never loses sight of her until
she is safe within the inclosure. Here
the branding is done. Fires are light
ed to heat the irons, which consist of
straight edges and half circles. and
with these shapes every letter and
almost every usual brand can be burned
on the hide. Three men work in each
branding gang; one holds tho, head,
another the hind legs and the third ap-
plies the iron.
''1n the corral, too, some dexterous
work is done with the lasso in catching
the wild and frightened calves that are
to be marked. When full-grown steer
is to. 'roped' the cowboy rides after him
at full speed, and while the animal is
straining every nerve to get away
throws tile loose around his neck, Sc
cures the other end to the horn of his
saddle and at a signal from his rider.
the pony braces himself for tho shock
and the wild Texan is brought to the
ground. During the roundup the
stampede is the great danger to be
feared. Little trouble is ever had in
daylight, but at night bright flash of
Tightening, the barking of coyotes or
the scampering OF a single steer may
frighten whole herd and start them
flying in the widest confusion. When