Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1892-10-09

so much uasturage per head for all cattle
going through his fenced pastures.
My friend, the ex-cattloman, told me OF
an experience with this sort OF m0dlhed
highway robbers at the Lampasas river,
returning once with his outfit that had TAX
en- a trail herd up 10 Dodge.
They came 10 the Little Lampasas az a
point whore they had never before been.
There was rickety, wabbley old bridl 9
which they paid no attention 10. but torueu
or swan their horses across. and were
about ~ go through gate on the further
side, and upon their way when an old
pirate-loolkine fellow came out OF a shanty
near by and told them TO hold on.
"You haven paid your toll
"But we didn't cross on the bridge"
'That don't make no differences tho
bridge wuz thar fur ye to cross on. Yer
pAsturage ID come to about the same, or
more. Better Ies pay yer toll, ten cents
apiece for the horses an forty cents fer
the teams"
The men recommended TO him Phil.
Sherldan's idea 10 choose HI rather than
Texas as place of residence, and were
about to 20 ahead when the old man. turn
Ing toward the door, said, here, boys"
Out slouched three great stumbling boys
n out six and a half feet tall, barefoot,
and With long Winchesters at their shout
ders The cattleman's men had their pis-
tolls and Winchesters back In the wagon I:
the pirates had the drop on them, so they
paid the toll q or s and went their way,
boiling with helpless fury.
THE BrsTLER's PLAN
A trick Of rustlers, thieves and banditti
was 70 stampede the horses or cattle, at
night and even sometimes In open day
light. This might be done for tho purpose
Of stealing them, or (when the thieves did
not want to take too much risk, and make
the trail so dangerous and unpopular as to
cut OF the source Of revenue-passing
hertls-or call tho rangers out after them),
OF being hired TO help hunt the cattle.
II was in Bandera county that the ex-cat-
tleman had an experience Of this sort.
Going through that rough, billy country
with good big herd, and horses pretty
poor and ridden down, the whole herd was
mysteriously stampeded one night. The
next morning after the outfit had gathered,
counted, tailed aud found the herd $40
head short, some ordinary looking strang-
ers rode into their camp on fine, strong,
well-bred horses.
Had some bad luck last night-stam-
peded,"
eyes, we're 800 head shorts
That's mighty bad, iu this rough coun-
try, too. We amt got much to ado right
now, and we'd like the job of helpin' you
hunt EN-
Mop said the cattleman, his anger ris-
ing, 1--WE ure going TO hunt them and dnd
them ourselves
''Dut your horses is poor an rode down.
an you don't know the country. Ours Is
all fresh an fat, an We know the whole
country perfectly, Wen help you--or we'd
rather Just agree to lind EN- fer ye fer 90
cents head that's Cheaper'n you can git
en- yourselves sarchin' around IN a
strange, rough country on poor horses
an sc won't be able to git 'em all,
either"
The cattleman knew that there was truth
In this, but he was mud and couldn't bring
himself TO tamely pay the tribute or ran
som. the thieves demanded, so he sent them
away ungily and the outfit hunted the cat
tie themselves, finding only 800. The sixty
lost, at u rough guess, would represent
30 to ~ 200; the o cents per head dc.
manded BY the rustl3rs for ''fnding'' the
800 head would only have been Si.0 so tho
Cattlomaus nngry resentment, though lusti
cost him so or Sl,OJO.
Tun RREsIsTlBLE STAMPEDE FOR WATER.
Whom cattle are driven too hard, or are
wanting water, they are very hard to bed
down At night, or even to hold. They
"milln around and mutter and moan, and
the smallest thing will stampede them.
When once cattle that have been suffering
for days. maybe, for water, scent 1t, they
are absolutely frenlled, aud there is no
turning nor stopping them. II II Is a DOGGY
stream or n sharp blutf they will rush In
| mlre up and some Of them drown. or fall
over and break legs and necks, II IL is salt
water, ranhy salt rs there is In some places
In Texas, they will stand and drink as
long as they can swallow, and the weaker
md more susceptible ones will fall ovor
| dead whore they stand. In this way, Mr.
Goodnight told me, hes had seen 800 Of
his die in one little salt pond down on the
Rio Pecos. The fresh water OF the river
was In sight, aud the men got most Of the
| herd tuinid into It, but this bunch got
sight Of the salt pond first, rothinV short OF
an earthquake could have stopped them, and
the outf' A no earthquake along, so into
the pOnd th Y went-and that 600 never
| had To b, d ven, nor beddcd down, nor
sung to, nor counted and Tailed any more
! The trails all lead north-northeas or
| northwestern always northward, from
! Texas. up the trail" says tho cowboy
aud the cattemon, hes gone up the trail -
and IL sounds poetic and suggestive to me
as that other Western expression "over
the divide" which has come 20 10 so
universally used in tiguratlve and poetic
sense. ALICE MACGowAS.