Williston graphic. (Williston, Williams County, N.D.) 1895-1919, 1902-06-05
Of the
New West.
Her duilefui Campfire wooing.
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x 4 4 x 4 4 !:
TO THOSE whose knowledge Of cat
/ tle-driving is founded upon the
Bible and kindred lore, it may seem
mild and patriarchal kind of pur-
suit, old as the Chaldeans, made re-
spectacle by Abraham himself. But
ask concerning it of some California
rancher of the early days, whose vast
domains large as the independent
principally of older and less prod
igal lands--lay naked and unfenced.
The description will be rather pic
turesque than Biblical.
Now, the cattle-driver was a placid
man. It was in the character of his
life. He rode all day and many time
oil night, going rarely above the slow
est walk, sleeping in his saddle, envel-
oped in cloud of acrid dust thrown
up from beneath the hoofs of his
herd. In the midst OF nature, spread
out forever and beyond, the sky above
him, the valleys and hills around,
hour after hour he saw only vaguely
the moving mass ahead, and drew in
through his nostrils the breath of
life, to be sure-but it was the life
of the hundreds of creatures ahead,
and it was hardly sweet--nor was his
existence itself. He was an interloper,
even in that land where order and
law had not, as yet, prevailed. The
hand of every ranchman was against
him, and his hand was against all
ranchmen.
The characteristic of the small boy,
who had rather play upon the poor
grass than upon the nicely graveled
walk-not because the grass is espe-
cially desirable, but because the sign
says keep off, is strong in children
of larger growth.
It was strong in Clifton. He called
it the struggle for existence, and ex-
planned to conscience trained in
another and more law-abiding school
that cattle had to eat and live, and
had to live to be brought to their
market, wherever that might be; and
that there was not to be found by the
cOSc " CAC 1Odu, III u u1y SAO"
journey, enough grazing to keep so,
let alone many times a hundred head.
It was surely not a browsing steer
which could know at what tuft of
grass to stop. 1t was equally good to
him whether it was upon a ranch or
upon unclaimed ground. So long as
there was no barbed wire against
which to run his tender nose, he kept
straying from the high path of right
eousEess, and from the states high
way, cropping to the very roots the
grass of the fertile soil. Obviously it
was this which it was the duty of his
driver to prevent. But the driver not
only did not prevent the was very
much inclined to consider any trouble
resulting therefrom good deal in
the light of a lark, and prevention of
that monotony which might otherwise
have been unbroken and uncomfortable.
For he was wont to curse his exist
ence as like the road, forever stretch
ing ahead, Improbable, stale, and
fiat.
Clifton lounged with one leg over
his saddle, his body rather upon his
cow-pony's side than back, longed for
breath of decent air, and watched
the herd, of which he was chief in
charge, spreading out over territory
where it had no right to be. To
whom the territory might happen to
belong was neither here nor there.
The steers had got to Craze. Clifton
was placid, even for a cattle-driver.
Therefore, when he heard the sound
of galloping hoofs behind him coming
along the road, he merely slid back
into his saddle to an angle of some
what safer balance, and waited to see
what would emerge from out the all
enveloping thickness of dust.
When it proved to be a man of his
own race, but of disposition more ex-
citable, his equanimity was in nowise
disturbed. He responded to char
acterizations of himself and his call
ing by nothing more forcible than
gaze only trife less bovine than
that of one of his own steers. But
behind it was curious scrutiny of a
quality peculiarly exasperating. Hav-
ing explained to Clifton, with figures
of speech, that his herd was straying
where it did not belong, and having
received no reply, the rancher in
quired-in substance-what Clifton
was going to do about it. Clifton
turned away his eyes and fixed them
on dim and distant pair of tossing
horns.
'Quien sabe?' he said; ''the cattle
have got to eat.''
The effect of a soft answer can be
other tran the proverb shows. The
effect of this one was to bring things
/, shortly to the shooting point. The
rancher shot first, but he missed, and
Clifton did not. The rancher's arm
dropped useless from the shoulder,
and the fusilade stopped at once.
By the time the three outriding
cowboys had galloped up to see what
damage had been done, Clifton was
Offering gorgeous red and yellow
neckerchief nv wav of bandape and