The aegis & intelligencer., 1900-10-19
hERpERs OF THE WEST.
Row the Riotous Cowboy Compal
With the Lnnalv sheen HAr,dar

Row the Riotous Cowboy Compares
With the Lonely Sheep Herder.
~fn the character Of the men who care
for the herds and hocks can be found an
interesting subject for study" says Cap
tain ]. II. McClintock in Ainslee's. 'The
cowboy, il he be the genuine article, is a
man who daily does feats on the range
that would win applause at wild west
show. In his chase after the fieet, un-
branded yearling he Is compelled to ride
at headlong speed over country that q
fox hunter would consider sure death.
Danger confronts him in varied form,
and no man can be an efficient COW
puncher who hasn't in him the spirit of
recklessness.
''The writer once witnessed q stampede
Of wild cattle at midnight. A great herd
was being held In q canyon of the Mazar-
Eal mountains. The night was as dark
a. It Is possible for night to be. A coy
0ts's bark started the nervous animals to
their feet, and they were of. The two
riding guards on watch howfed for help.
Their sleeping comrades were up in a
twinkling. Each seized a horse at tht.
picket line and mounted without saddle,
stopping only to twist "A loop of his riata
about the pony's nose. Barely a dozen
seconds had passed before the campfire
was deserted. The cowboys were plunging
In the dark after the fleeing cattle. through
a wild, rocky. unknown district filed with
mesquite and cactus, cut up by danger
GUS arroyos and canyons. By noon of
the, succeeding day the drive was resum-
ed. A half dozen steers had been left be-
hind, lamed or dead in the gulches. while
a few of the horses in the 'wrangler's
bunch in the lead were skinned and limp
ing. But the cowboys, their clothing in
rags from the thorny midnight ride. mere
ly joked on their mutual appearance and
solaeed their WEAKNESS with tobacco and
with endless song.
''As a rule the cowboy Is an American.
In the plateau region he may hail from
anywhere, but usually comes either from
California or from Texas. But they all
fraternize, making issue only over the
liking of the Californian for q saddle
with a single barreled rig which is a
saddle with single .girth. The Texan
despises anything but double cinched
saddle, though usually he does not tighten
the second girth.
''The sheep herder has a distinctly
lower social place. As a rule. he is for
eigner, the few Americans employed be-
Ing in positions of unusual trust. Most
of the herders appear to be Mexicans or
Frenchmen. 1t is said that Basques are
the best and most careful shepherds.
They come from northern Spain. many of
them especially for this employment.
Their wages are not bad. being usually
even higher than the pay of cowboys or
farmhands. but the nervous American
cannot stand the life. The everlasting
'baa' drives him mad. He cannot endure
the monotony and the necessary separa
tion from humanity. with only dog for
company for months at a stretch And
the diet, mainly tea and mutton. Is too
simple for his luxurious palate.
1T is fact that sheep herding fur
nishes a greater number of inmates for
western insane asylums than does any
other occupation. The shepherd, like the
cowboy, is gradually assimilated to his
surroundings and naturally acquires
much of the nature of his charges. To
his credit it must be said that he is rarely
unfaithful to the interests of his flock
and its owner. There Is nothing poetical
about him. but he will risk his life for the
safety of lamb and will dogsedly
search all night if there be stray. He
is much Quieter fellow than the cow
boy, even in his cups, when the wool has
been clipped and the hands are in town
for little fling. He has no wild yearn-
ing for idly shooting holes in the firma-
ment. He is happiest on a sunny hill
side. lying at ease where he may over
look his flock and hear the ceaseless
voicing of its lamentation." -