Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1892-07-08
CATTLE TRAILING.
An Int sresting By-Gone Feature OF
Western Life.

An Int sresting By-Gone Feature of
Western Life.
The barb wire fences shut of tho
great trails that stretched from Cor
pus Christie through the Pan Handle
OF Texas and on up through New
Mexico and Colorado and through tho
Indian territory to Dodge City. The
coming of the railroad also made this
trailing of cattle to the markets
superhuous and almost destroyed one
OF the most remarkable features OF
the West. This trail was not of
course an actual trail and marked as
such, but a general driveway forty
miles wide and thousands OF miles
long. The herds OF cattle that were
driven over it numbered from 800 to
3. 900 head. and were moving con-
stantlv from the early spring to the
late fall.
No caravan route in the far eastern
countries can equal this six months
journey through three different states
says Harpers' Weekly, and through
all changes of weather and climate.
and in the face OF constant danger and
anxiety. This procession OF thou
sands Of cattle on their slow march to
the North was one OF the most inter-
esting and distinctive features OF the
West
An outfit" for their expedition
would consist OF as many cowboys as
were needed to hold the herd to-
getheE wagon, with the cook and
the tents and extra ponies for the
riders. In the morning the camp
wagon pushed on ahead to a suitable
resting place for the night and when
the herd arrived later moving on an
average fifteen miles "a day. and graz
ing as IL went the men would find
the supper ready and the tents
pitchet And then those who were
to watch that night would circle slow
ly around the great army of cattle,
driving them in closer and closer to-
gether and singing as they rode TO
put them TO sleep.
This seems an absurdity to the
Eastern mind but the sound of some
thing familiar quieted and satisfied
these great stupid animals. that can
be soothed like a child with a nursery
rhyme. and when frightened can not
be stopped by river The boys rode
slowly and patiently until one and
then another of the herd would
stumble clumsily to the ground and
others near would follow. and at last
the whole great herd would lie silent
and immovable in sleep But the
watchfulness of the sentries could
never relax. Some chance notes.-the
shaking OF saddle. some cry of O
wild animal Or the scent OF distant
water carried by chance breeze
across the prairie or nothing but
sheer blind wantonness-would start
one OF the sleeping mass to his feet
with snort aud in an instant tho
whole great herd would go tearing
madly over the prairie. tossing their
horns and believing and filled with a
wild. unreasoning terror And then.
the skill and daring OF the cow boy
were put to their severest test as he
saw his masters income disappearing
toward canyon or a river or to lose
itself in the brush. And the cowboy
who tried TO head off and drive back
this galloping army OF frantic animals
had to ride race that meant his life
IL his horse made a misstep and as
the horses feet often did slip. there
would be found in the morning some
where in the trail Of the stampedlng
cattle a horrid mass OF blood and
flesh and leather.
Do you wonder then that after
this half year OF weary restless rid
ing by day. and sleepless anxiety and
watching under the stars by night
when the lights of Dodge City showed
across the prairie the cow boy kicked
his feet out of his stirrups drove the
blood out OF the pony's sides and
'came in to town" with both guns
going at once, aud yelling as though
the pent-up speech OF the past sl1
months OF loneliness was striving for
proper utterance?