Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-08-14
CATTLE In A STAMPEDE.
The Reckless Daring Of the Cowboys
With . Big Contract on Hand.

From the Kansas City Star
The marketing of its beef is the sole source
from which flows revenue to q ranch, and the
collection and gathering Misunderstanding
beeves Is the most scientific part of ranch
work-engages September, October, Novem-
Der and part of December Of each year. The
beef herds. aggregating 1000 to 5000 head OF
cattle each in charge of an outfit of about
ten men, including the boss and cook, be-
take themselves to a convenient shipping
point, sometimes 200 to 500 miles distant The
excursion is slow and, by virtue of the strength
and spirit OF the cattle as well as the stormy
season OF the year, not unfraught with danger.
Stampedes are the rule rather than the reverse,
and sometimes are very expensive in their cost
from lost and Injured cattle. To this trip are
usually assigned the most skilled and compe-
tent Of the men, and albeit the work is arduous
on account OF the dignity it invests one with to
have ''gone with beef to Dodge" as well as the
joy-fraught spree incidental to the close of a
successful expedition of this sort, all the boys
are willing and anxious to be counted in.
In that former day the drive from Texas
north through the Indian territory had a spe-
cal hazard. The Indian was there, abundant
and full of thrift. Nor was it the aboriginals
intent to permi. a herd to wind its valuable
length across this domain without tribute The
method of tax collection in vogue with these
Objects Oh savage revenue was simple and COM
plete. Some dark and quiet night the sleepy
riders out on herd would be astonished by the
spectacle of every one of their horned wards
springing to his feet and, pausing but one brief
second to get the general direction, 60 scam
pering into the gloom with great fervor. The
cause was easily found. An Indian had crawled
up on an unguarded flank and tapped blanket.
most effective flap. indeed, that pulled into
sudden motion $150, 900 worth of beef by its
one small breath.
The sequel of a stampede is the recollection
of the herd. From the first Jump of the first
steer the cowboy, as dauntless as a Cossack
and blindly true to his trust goes with the
herd. No man ever takes a more dangerous
jaunt. The night as dark as Egypt; the coun-
try new and unknown; perhaps at any second
to go leaping from precipice or crashing up
against a wall of rock; cattle, terror-mad.
charging on all sides; the certain result of a
fall being a crushing by the galloping hoofs of
the herd; still this American Arab never halts
nor waivers, but with rein held high and loose
and spurs bloody to the boot, whirls his half
broken broncho through at thirty miles an
hour.
How cattle or men end q stampede alive il
one of the mysteries of the craft, but they do
AS showing these trips not altogether lacked in
safety, might add l never knew a cowboy to
achieve ten years of service without recalling
one broken limb at least, and sometimes two or
three.
The purpose of the riders in stampede is,
by lying well up and forward on one or the
other side Of the herd to turn or stop the cat
tie. This, even il successful, is slow and is
bound to involve a ten-mlle run at least BY
that time one cause or another has more or less
split the herd into punches and many of the
cattle are lost. The next few days and some
times weeks are devoted to securing the coun-
try and rounding up the herd again. Here is
where the recreant native who caused the
whole trouble gets in his dusky work. He pre-
sents himself at your camp and pleasantly
proffers his services to help collect the rene-
gades at dollar a head. As you are almost
sure he has hidden bunch of a hundred or SO
up some canyon where no white man can find
them, you subdue your six-shooter, which
leaps and throbs in its scabbard to kill him off
and hire him. The poor Indian, with his fell
lows, frequently makes several hundred dol
lars out Of a stampede and saves four FIVE Of
VOur hest efears for persOnal haaf hasidaa