The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-07-29
SALT LAKE HERALD.

first few days he and his assistant
would keep a close watch upon the
teams If a driver had chosen one in
which most of the ca tile were slow and
lazy, at the next "yoke-up" the wagon
master directed that another be sell
ected and distributed the slow ones,
or "deadheads" as they were called,
into the different teams. By thus
train would move on without any part
of it tagging behind. When finally the
cattle were distributed properly the
wagon-master would direct that each
bull whacker" place some kind Of d
mark upon each of his steers so that
he could Identify them and thus KEEP
the same team day after day.
There was among the "bull-whack-
ers" an Irishman, direct from the
''auld sod,'' who knew nothing of the
duties of a teamster. In yoking up he
would select the twelve steers that
made least protest against being
brought into servitude, and thus he
always got twelve "dead-heads.
Finally the wagon-master went into the
corral himself and yoked up team fol
him, and said: Now your team is al
right; you keep it just as it is
How the devil am L to pick those
twelve craters out whin livery mother
son of thin in the corral look JUS
aloike to me?' demanded the Irishman
Put a mark on each one Of them,
said the wagon-master.
When the wagons were corralled FOL
the stop there was a commotion among
the cattle in the Irishman's team.
What are you doing there?" shouted
the wagon-master.
fsCbrrro T1r1 cy,Ir told ma
was to put a. mark on each one o.
bastes so Old know him again?'
Certainly l did, but what are yol
doing?"
"oi'm going to punch the lift eye
out of every one Of thin, thin Oil
know thin. And Oil have no more
trouble yoking the divils. kin slip VI
On the blind side of thin and hav
thin under the yoke before they know
Dim there
/ Each man was required to sign the
/ following:
while I am in the employ o
( Messrs. Majors, Russell & Waddell
/ agree not to use profane language, no
/ to get drunk, not to gamble, not t.
treat animals cruelty, and not to d.
anything else that is incompatible will
/ the conduct of a gentleman, and
I
ditions to accept my discharge withcr
claiming any pay for my services
! The compact was fairly lived up to
/ but the man who had been in the habi
/ of giving vent to his feelings in terms
more forcible than polite, who yet com
piled with these rules during his frs
weeks experience with twelve wilfu
steers, was a very rare man.
TuE TEA MISTER
The Transfers duties consisted o
! yoking, herding, unyoking and per
suading twelve perverSe oxen to trave
thirteen to fifteen miles day and pul
wagon loaded with three tons o
/ freight after them. His wages wa
about $50 per month and board. Tn
men were divided into about fou
''messes" for each train. One man il
each mess was detailed to cook, it be
| ing the duties of the other men in tn
mess, according to detail each day. t
| furnish the fuel The first part Of tn
| journey provisions were, as rule
more than plentiful, but as it pro
crossed if a mess had been wasteful o
| improvident, they would have to go o.
short rations.
The dried droppings of buffalo an
cattle, called buffalo chips" in tn
high dry altitude of the plains, mad
an excellent fuel and were in fact tn
| sole dependence in that treeless regio
! No DULL whacker" who knew hi
business ever passed a buffalo chip
that was ripe for plucking. A gum
! bag hanging by the side of his WACO
became it's resting place, so it was SCI
dom that the fuel supply was shor
HERDING THE CATTLE.
The next man in Importance to tn
wagon-master and his assistant wa
the might herder." During the day
perched up under the canvas cover {
one of the wagons, he could ''snooze'
or "booze,' just as he chose. When tn
evening camp was formed and the SUI
per of potatoes, fat meat. f1ap-jack
and black coffee, which was at timf
supplemented by q feast of deer, ell
antelope or buffalo by the skill {
some sportsman among the teamster
was disposed of, the might herder
would relieve the day men of the her
and lonesome all-night vigil.
Cattle are most methodical in the
: habits. They always have a leadt
whom, they follow as faithfully as c
the members of Tammany Hal
: Whittier the leader goes they will g
: be it in a gentle meandeT to find be
: ter grass, or a wild, uncontrollabl
irresistible stampede. If grass is plel
tiful and nothing diSturbS the her
, they will eat quietly for about thrt
hours after they arrive on the grain
grounds. If grass is scarce it will tai
them longer to become satisfied.
) might herder' who understands h
: business viii always keep himself il
formed of the movements of the leadt
Of his herd. If he has the leader
! hand he is pretty sure, however dan
land stormy the night may be, that II
balance of his herd is all right.
can hear the crunch, crunch, crunC
: ali around him of the hundreds of HUI
: CRY mouths, biting the sweet grasse
and when they become filled the Ions
drawn signs of contentment float
: him on the prairie breeze and the sour
of their movements in selecting a be
/ and lying down. When he knows
herd have gone to bed he seeks out Il
: leader always found near the vangual
| of the herd. He dismounts, and secu
ing his mule by driving a strong p
t into the ground to which is attached
lariat that allows the mule to rams
| and eat rolls himself in his blanke
lies down near the leader, probab
within touch of him, and goes peac
fully to sleep.
: AS the first gray streaks of dawn a
! pear in the east he rounds up his hel
Z and heads them for the corral. 1t ma