The Dupuyer acantha. [volume] (Dupuyer, Mont.) 1894-1904, 1896-11-12

obe oIateS, as all the country
outside of Texas is called. II it be
one visitor or dozen, all will be
gladly welcomed, told TO "Get
down and stake your horses" and
then "You fellows must make
yourselves at home," aud they
mean it. No man can visit them
thus without ever after retaining
for them very warm place In his
heart, They are nearly ali young
men, and the gymnasium in which
they take their athletic exercise is
one that brings them health and
strength. The treeless, grass
covered piateau, several hundred
miles wide, where they make their
home, Is from $500 to 1900 feet
throughout above the level Of the
sea: and the atmosphere is always
bracing and exhilarating.
The cowboys work is hard work.
He must be up early and is ofteA
kept up late. Winter is of course.
the worst season. When these
plains are covered with suow. as
they are every year, and the cold
winds are sweeping from the north
over this tree!ess expanse,i it means
something to handle cattle. In
blizzard they drift away from their
usual pastures and to ahold' q
herd under such circumstances is
very difficult. To be reused from
warm blankets at O'clock u. M.
to go out in the face of a rain of
sleet and snow and relieve others
who have been laboring with herd
of well-nigh unmangeable CATTLE
is something which has about it a
good deal more Of the real than of
the romantic. II they are not
thus held they drift to the south
ward, before the blizzard, and
sometimes go hundreds OF miles,.
In that case they must be followed
and brought back, as soon as the
weather will permit. ssRiding
the lines was one of the hardest
features of the work in former
days. 1t meant patrolling a vast
expanse: Of territory absolutely
miles. Now, however, that wire
fencing has been placed around
tracts of country embracing 80 or
40 miles, the work is not regarded
as so difficult.
There are some expression used
about the ranches and COW camps,
without some men ton of which a
sketch would hardly be complete.
To the newcomer they are at first
somewhat puzzling. but he soon
becomes accustomed to their use.
Instead OF herd being driven
from one pasture to another they
! are "shoved over into it," "Do-
t gies" are common cattle from the
4 country below the plains "Choust
: ing them about" means drivin g
S them around. "Twos," threes
t and fours means cattle OF those
e ages. A suggin means a blanket
S Chuck wagon means provision
t wagon, and chuck box has /;
# similar meaning Loco ed is
e word derived from the loco O wood
S which is found here. When
It horse eats of it he becomes a
l. though crazed or drunk, and havin
h eaten Of it once he forms the habit
IS as do human inebriates, and wi
v eat it at every opportunity. Frol
is the weed is derived the word mer
e toned, which means not only
o. horse so affected, but also NJ
Is being like ones self, like the Sian
is expression 'rattled," Anima
ar are roped when they are lassoe
" the lariat being known as rop
ne Cowmen are those who own lars
lg punches of cattle and control 6
s. outfit; nesters are those who ow
m comparatively few cattle and hay
id settled upon school lands, and COY
ho bows are those who can hand
lis cattle for the cowmen. eco
ce punchers" are men who accompar
IS herd when they are shipped
in rail. whose duty it is to make {
ist cattle that lie down in the close
he packed cars get up, by use of sha
,s- sticks, and to remove those Will
are killed or wounded while
IS. transit. These do not work on t
,;1 ranch hut 90 back and forth wi