Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1895-06-29
ON A CATTLE RANCH.
the o DO nc 40 oSevGLr'0
WESTERN EXPERIENCES.
,oeed Advice Which ere Wevld Do
Cowboy Should Taks Under Kind.
II co0aldoentto0,


deed Advice Which enc WevId Dc
cswbsy Shouts Taks Under Kind.
y ceRsldsratien.
Theodore Roosevelt, President OF
the New York Board Of Police Com.
missioners, writes on ranching topics
to the Plttsburg Dispatch. He says /:
Probably every man who has had
q ranch In the West has received a
multitude OF applications from peo-
pie who wish to get on that ranch.
Most Fasteners seem not 10 know
that Q cowboys business requires
special training, and that hardy,
vigorous young fellow without any
training can no more start In offhand
az . cowboy than he could start Of.
hand AZ o carpenter. Moreover, q
man who ism I good cowboy Is worse
than . nuisance, because the average
cowboy needs ten horses for his work,
and II he doesn't do the work the ten
horses are wasted.
A man to be proficient In the busl-
ness must not only be good horse
man. but must be able to rope we'll,
to read brands, to understand cattle,
and must have a good knowledge Of
plainscraft. Ordinarily the work
does not imply long continued physl-
cal exertion, like the work OF . wood
chopper, but II Ii often very monoton.
Gus and IL 10 also fraught with hard
chip and danger.
Nevertheless, In the spring, sum-
mer and early fall, the life 10 . very
exciting aud pleasant one for those
who have mastered the work. There
10 On attraction In the wild, lonely
country, and the entire freedom Of
On existence spent mostly on horse
back. After one gets used to II the
rough little shack seems comfortable
enough, and for much Of the year
the ranch wagon 10 the COW puncher's
home. To many q hardy, vigorous
fellow the round up 10 ordinarily
rather Q picnic. Tho men ore fed
we'll. and though they do not have
much sleep. yet the easiest OF all
forms Of labor IL sitting In the saddle
and the long rides In the morning to
gather In the cattle. and the furious
galloping and chasing round the herd
when cutting out the beef steers and
COWS and calves In tho afternoon,
possess . very great charm for men
fond Of life In the open. OF course.
even In summer there ore unpleasant
experiences. A stampede ct night In
Q thunder storm 10 usually too excit-
ing to be agreeable, and fighting fire
10 very wearing work, while there ID
always . liability to mlsadventure.
A man may have now and then "a
make dry camp; he may get injured
by an unusually vicious horse, or be
damaged in the rush Of stampeded
herd, or be drowned In the qulcksand
OF soma treacherous plains river.
Still. take IL % . whole, In good
weather the life 10 pleasant enough.
But in the iron winter work Il
very hard and very dangerous. The
last roundups. which take place Ia
November on the northern plain, ore
not agreeable. The nights arc very
long and the freezing misery Of
standing guard around cattle herd
does not tend to make them seem
shorter. In fine weather nobody
wants Q tent; but II 10 not pleas
ant after twenty.four hours cold
rain to toss the damp blankets on
the sodden ground and creep Into
them. OF course, the tarpaulin has
kept out most OF the wet. but II doei
not keep out all, and then some
nights there 10 q heavy snow fall.
and when you throw back the tar
paulin In the morning the snow getl
down tho back OF your neck, and
much dexterlty IL needed while draw
ing on your boots and trousers not Il
lot the snow get into the blankets
The ground 10 like iron after thu
heavy frosts; and though the horses
being worn down and thin. are much
less lively and vicious than In spring
yet II thoy do "act mean" they arr
more liable to slip and hurt them
selves. and more apt to hurt theil
rider II they throw him.
Early In December the last OF the
seasons work ends. Most OF the
cowboys ere discharged. and the,
may then 60 into town, or build . lit
Ito shack and hunt for . livelihood
or stay around the ranches. doln(
any odd Job that turns up for theil
board. A few, however. are kept OF
to ride lines and keep track OF thu
cattle in the snow. These men mus
needs bs OF vigorous constitution
and thoroughly able to grapple Will
every ex,goncy Of plains life. for the,
are certain to have some pretty
rough experiences before spring II th'
winter 10 ut ell severe.
In riding lines each man has
definite beat OF course. In goot
weather the task 10 o perfectly eos!
one. The rider lets his pony sh0l
along until he comes to the end o
his beat. II any cattle have crosset
the line. he sees their tracks. and
following. rounds them up and drive
them back into the country where !
is desired they shall range durinl
the winter. II no cattle come nea
the line, he simply goes to the end o
his beat and comes back again. Blu
II q blizzard catches him he may flint
1t an almost impossible task to avoi,
getting lost. All landmarks or
shrouded from sight, and while TIL
blizzard is In its height 1t IL out O
the question to make head against II
OF course II the day Is very bal
one the rider won't 60 out at all
but often he has to take his chance
and the snow may begin to fall an
the wind to blow just when he !
- thu N,rkhast AID ~ hia haat The,