The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1904-12-23

fighters of the plains" and burning
grass is the material consumed.
We will take for illustration, says
the Fort Worth Record, the great
Espuela or "spur" ranch in the lower
Panhandle country of northwest
Texas, and go back a dozen years,
wken destructive fires were more fire.
qlfnt than they are now. Hundreds
ofWcowboys were employed on that
ralEh, living in camps widely sep
arated, covering the unsettled counties
of Dickens, Crosby, Cara and Kent.
Great and very destructive prairie
fires often occurred, and systematic
plans were adopted to fight success
fully the devouring element which not
only. involved a great loss of grass
but ,of stock Also One of the most
successful plans was the following: 1t
vast ,lderstood among the men at the
varid is camps that when a smoke was
discovered ascending from the prairie,
each and every cowboy must saddle
his horse and gallop away toward the
fire straight out in a line from his
camp.
This had to be done at night also,
the fire then being detected by the
light; and the boys would come from
every direction, striking the line Of
/, fire at many different points almost at
! ,,he same time. If the fire had spread
L., luch, the men from the different
camps would somtimes be many
miles from each other, those from the
same station going in squad together.
If it was at night the scene would be
one of wild and weird grandeur. The
great line of fire, the galloping horses
as the cowboys approached it, some
/ from camps on opposite sides, their
forvns and those of their horses stand
ing in relief in the bright glare of the
burning grass. Herds of believing,
frightened, stampeding cattle made
the scene more terrible and exciting
1ieley ran before the pursuing, crack
ling roaring flames. Above the din
could be heard loud shouts of COM
mand from leaders of the assembling
men which would remind soldiers Of
a battlefield. The resemblance be-
came more realistic when rapid pistol
shots were heard far out on the pairie
in the midst of the running cattle.
The men were not standing still on
their horses; the fire was travelling,
and they were g,ing with it until
ready to begin their attack. Cattle
must be sacrificed to save cattle. AS
soon as an animal fell, four cowboys
dismounted and sharp knives and
hatchets were at work, and in less
time than it takes to tell the slain
animal was cut in twain. The halves
'were split so as to lay fiat upon the
Ground and to each hoof the end Of
N rope was fastened, the other end
tbeing around the pommel Of a cow
boys saddle. They dashed away to
the line of fire, dragging the severed
parts after them.
When they have reached this, two
men would cross-plunge through the
blaze. Tom tried it, but his horse
wheeled and turned away from the
blaze, snorting loudly and in terror.
"a "Give me your end of the rope,
FeCom," one of tie other men said, II
Bphn got over; Black Duncan will face
Ht." and with great plunge he clear
ed the lIne of fire.
One of the other two also crossed,
and without moments halt and with
scorched faces, they wheeled their
horses and ran parallel with the fire,
dragging the bloody half of the beef
e|yer it, smothering the fire out as fast
aS their horses could run and drag
the weight. One man was then on one
side of the fire and the other on the
opposite, each with his rope to the
foot of a beef, straddling the blaze
and beating out the greater part of it,
They ore slick duck jackets and
leg upon which the fire could not |
e, .ny take hold. 1t was hot work.
ss9owever. They could get only the
kl)gth of their ropes from the fire. |
&[ae two men with the other half of |
Hhe beef were going in the opposite |
direction, taking the other end Of the |
line of fire. Suppose the fire was |
travelling south and the line extend |
.ing east and west, two dragged east
and two west, fast receding from each
dtber and every moment widening the
lack streak which marked the trail
Iof the smothered flames.
While these four men were getting
ready to do this work other cowboys
were sitting their horses nearby, their
faces lit up by the burning grass and
cheering their companions who were
crossing the fire line to fight the main
l4attle.