Albuquerque weekly citizen. (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1891-19??, 1895-07-13
SHEPHERDS ON WHEELS.
Bicycles Used by Sheep Men In
California
The Machine supp,snt,ns the no-s. on
the fisias Herders Run Down
coyotes on Tha,r Novel
ntssds

Il"rding sheep un n bicycle ~ al In
nuyatiuu intrvducrd 10y Frank smith
on the wide. ruadlrss plains lying br.
~ the coast range, IN the western part
~ Fresno county Perhaps the wheel
viii not come into general use Tor that
purla,sc. ~ It IL nearly always imprHr.
ucahlc T." ride u bicycle over ranges
whore sheep tiud pasturagc, hut natur"
has provided one ~ the finest courses
~ thr world un the open plains ~ the
west side where the ground IN NJ level
~ u iluur. aud the whr'lmAn can often
ride NnN miles without changing his
ruurs,. and all the timr over country
" her, roads are almost unknown, aud
- there uu, u fence ur u ditch lut"rIS's''
'u stop thr journey The cahius ~ n
i,N hunrNtrHdrrs sometimes meet the
view. duttiug the horizon here aud
here. tut aside from THESE thcr" ~ III.
'lr ur nu evidence ~ civilization ~ all
'hc country a. far a. the eye eau
reach
That region ~ "a dead waste, almost
without vegetation. except during the
i'Iu, weeks - winter aud early spring
" hcu the hu' weather rururs the short
Growth - nltlnrin dries aud the winds
weep ever, vrstil,c ~ 1t from the face
- the earth. leaving thc ground sinu'th
and level u, "a race ruurN"
This Nrn~nu the unusual rains and the
phenomenal warmth have pr,-luccd n
growth ~ yrrdur" such ~ has seldom
been known there. covering the earth
Ike carpet The >hrcpncn hav"
driven their hrrIs tu that quarter fruu
all sides hrrauN" paN'urng" there costs
nothing Frank smith. who has charH"
~ several herds, breaks the mnnutuny,
>ays the san Francisco chronicle, by
gliding un his sheet from band Ia band,
tau. dispensing With "A horse aud drriv.
my pleasure from what was before
work lie can round upA herd quicker
than dog can lu II The dogs seem Ia
view the hirNclr with disgust, aud lonk
upon IT ~ the latest device Of labor.
saving machinery
The most novel experience Is in rid
ing after coyotes which always hang
upon the outskirts ~ band - sheep,
~ its misery the moment the hrrdrr's
back j. turned 4 coyote IN able IA
Keep ahead ~ IA h.cyclr. aud enjoys the
rNrrcis" for the first few miles. Hut
when lac has had an hour ar two ~ the
sport, aud the trclrNS aud untlngging
wheel continues 10 hang upon his line
- retreat, the fun begins To wear Off,
aud the long cared gallopcr ~ the
plains realizes that the transaction IL
not intended as n joke. By the time
another hour has passed. and TIN or n
duIcn miles more ~ the Icvci plain
have been measured III, aud the re-.
nnrsclcss wheel continues not more
than two hundred and twenty yards In
the rear, or perhaps has gained n little,
the situation becomes decidedly un-
pleasant Tor the coyote. The Amile Of
sruru that rurlrd his lip during the first
'ru miles ~ the race. ~ he locked back
first over one shoulder then over the
hhrr gradually disappears soon after
,r second ten miles IN entered upon
The animal lrpkS back M often M ever,
hut ia" expression On his impudcnt
zee seems I" say that the joke has
DuR 10 play quits Il the wheel is willing.
tn" coyote l. "a long. winj-d animal
nd II takes u good whrrlman "a ride
ne down. Under ordinary circum.
,tancrs II ilnisNSihle, for he will
.'ril<r for thick"t when lac discovers
hat IL II a. l." a survival ~ the httest.
liut ON the west side plains there are Nj
few places ~ "unccalmrnt and the
,ralrirs ar" 80 l"v"l and iimitlcss that
IL" coyote mny have tn run two or thJr"
YOURS before hr can find cover. The
latter part ~ such run is u weary one
inr him lie may hr able to escape.
but sometimes H." falls n victim Ia the
revolver ~ the whcrlman, and once in
awhile he il lnS>,.l. although in such
ra>r he must hc Sho, anyway, for his
,rcth ARE called into action IA sorn NJ
u" finds himself -, the end ~ rope
BESIDES, h" j. ap, Ia jerk the rider OF
his wheel hy sudden turns
The jackrahhit is not ~ noble game
as ia" coyote from Ia" point ~ view ~
he hicycliSt, but u harder 10 run down
II il not bccaus" ~ greater speed or
greater endurance, hut because the
rahhit will not run very far in n
draigh, line. When il finds itself pur.
sued IL may run In one direction for
awhile. but IL soon doubles back. aud
| from that time on IL runs in circles or
more probably In an angular course,
dcfying the whcclman, and continually
keeping out IT range ~ the pistol.
Efforts have been made two or three
times Ia run down tn. only antelope in
central California, perhaps, but the rf-
f,rts lid not meet with success, hccaus"
| these animals never venture very far
from the foothills Of the coast range,
and when pursued they run for rough
ground An antelope. after II has drunk
It's Ill, could not ou,run = bicycle ten
miles ON smooth ground. The animals
are swift for n mile or two, hut they
qanno, eep up their pace long at a
time. Those In Fresno county have
their home in the brush back OF the
hrs, range of tothills aud seldom ven
turc cut upon the plains.
| TAttasp-d by Lightning,