The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-11-28
ON THE CATTLE TRAIL.
SOME OaAR SCENES
OF OLD ON THE PLAINS.

Days, Railroads Not Having Entirely
Done Away With the Old Institu-
ton.
From the Kansas City Times
The trail is by no means an obsolete or
abandoned feature OF the cattle business
since the introduction and multiplication Of
railroads in Texas. The railroads have not
dispensed with the uses of the trail, only re-
duced and limited them. Trail work now is
mostly confined to the bringing of cattle
from the southern breeding ranches about
Corpus Christi and the coast country, San
Antonio and southwest Of Fort Worth, up
on TO these North Texas and Panhandle
ranches; the moving of herds from one
ranch to another on account Of water or
grass, or the driving Of them anywhere
from twenty to 200 miles to some railroad
shipping point, about the only long trail
work that Is now done being the driving
north every spring by the big
cattle companies Of 2-year-olds to fatten in
the pastures-or rather on the free range
OF Wyoming, Montana and Dakota. Such
strips as these latter are, except for changed
conditions everywhere difference In the
cattle driven, the men that drive them, the
character of the people and country through
Indians and buffalo, comparative scarcity
of cattle thieves aud professional despera.
does-something like the work OF the olden
time
The three longest, best known and most
ueed trails in those days were the "Old
Lodge Trail" the chisholm" aud the
Goodnight" The feeders of the Dodge
trail concentrated about San Antonio
coming in from the region Of Corpus Christi
and the fine breeding counties of the coast,
and from those down along the
Mexican frontier. From the vicinity OF
San Antonio the trail made a sort OF detour
TO 60 around the fenced farming country
OF German settlers, going to Kerrville on
the Guadalupe. over Guadalupe mountains
to Motifs ranch, past Fort Mason to Fort
Griffin, thence to Dodge City, Kan. then
Fort Dodge, about a three months drive.
This was the end of the Dodge trail proper.
From here il branches out IN various direc-
lions, leading on to Ogalalla and to the
Indian agencies and military posts and res
ervations in the Missouri, Powder and
Snake river countries-Fort Fetterman,
Crow agency and the Yellowstone country.
THE HERD AND THE OUTFIT.
The Chisholm trail gathered itself to-
gether for start near Fort Worth, or west
Of it. went up northeast into Indian terri
tory. crossing the Red river at Red River
station, through TO Wichita, Kan, thence
to Newton, Abilene and Ogalalla, from
which point it branches out to supply the
same country as the Dodge trail
The Goodnight trail was called for the
man who opened II and drove cattle over it
for years. Charles Goodnight 1t started in
the country southeast of Fort Worth and
led southwestward TO the Pecos, which IL
crossed at Horsehead crossing, followed the
river up through New Mexico and went |
over into Colorado, ending near Pueblo.
The herds regularly driven through on |
these trails usually number from 1000 TO |
j, 200 head. With them went mess wagon, |
or, speaking in cowboy vernaculsr, "chuck !
wagon" q cook-who was also drivers |
horse rustler, from eight TO ten riders and q |
boss, who was also a rider when occasion |
demanded. Each mans mount consisted of |
six or eight horses, and these the horse |
rustler heTded, drove and attended TO gem |
orally. The rate Of travel was about ten or |
twelve miles day. This speed could be |
made without injury to the cattle. But a
contract herd" being driven through for
a certain consideration for some party per-
sonally unknown, was often put through
nearly twice as fast.
The cattle are Thrown off the trail" to
Craze a portion Of each day, then thrown
off again at night to bed down, which they
usually do unless there is some disturbing
cause, as hunger, thirst. overweariness, an
approaching SJOTIl something 10 LTlRDJon
them. The riders are divided into four
night watches or guards of two or three
each, according TO their number, guarding
81 hours.
Some cowboys and cattlemen laughingly
assured me that they only sing on watch to
keep themselves awake; others say they
sing, talk loud or make a noise just to let
the cattle know they are approaching, SO as
not to brighten and stampede them; but the
Urn fRF IN nr bod
read and been led to believe-that the sound
of the human voice, singing, talking
or calling out cheerfully, quiets and re-
assures the animals However it NAV be.
they all sing and talk or whistle to them,
and among my most vivid and picturelike
recollections is one of a certain night when
an aching head and heavy heart held me
awake, and, slipping away from the house
in the little hours, l went aimlessly across
the level plain toward where big herd was
oamped
SENTIMENT IN THE SADDLE AT MIGHT.
Whom within 800 or 400 yards Of the
bunch l could see under the white Texas
moonlight the dark mass of cattle and CO.
casonaliy a silhouette between me and the
sky of one of the guards on his pony, and
in the intense loneliness OF the plains night
the singing of the one boyish voice holding
his untaught. unconscious way through "a
fOunDAln fllIBu w lbu DlOOu, ana JHo
whistling of his companion on a little
harmonicum, "Sweet Home" as they came
round past me In turn, were as lovely and
touching sounds as l ever heard.
The horses had need to be pretty good and
in fair condition, the men plucky, reso!ute,
reliable aud well armed, for all sorts OF
vicissitudes, hardships aud dangers beset
the undertaking, from sudden storms and
stamuedes, long days without water when
crossing arid districts, to cattle and horse
thieves hostile Indians and sometimes un-
friendly, greedy and overhonest people
along the route, who expected all sorts of
tolls and tribute from passing herds. Ifa
man had pretty good horses, six, eight or
ten trusty men With plenty of nerve and
ammunition and proficiency with shooting
irons, whom he could count on to stand up
to him III any emergency, he might with
fair hope of success refuse the demands of
these various kinds OF sharks and bandits,
not other wise.
A favorite trick wns to secure from the
state ferry and bridge privileges on some
treacherous nd difficult river which the
trail crossed, then buy, lease or otherwise
obtain possession of and fence in the land
all I'D and down the river where the stream
could be forded or landing made. Under
the la VS., at least as they then we're, a man
could charge so much pasturage per head
for all cattle going through his fenced
pastures.