The San Francisco call., 1905-08-27
Pen Picture of the
Cattle Trail.

Andy Adams. the author Of The Log
of a Cowboy" has in his new book called
''The Outlet" given pen picture of the
great cattle trail from Texas to the
Northwest and the strenuous life of the
men who toiled upon it at the time when
the business of transferring vast herds
in that way was at its height In 1854
this maximum was reached Nearly 800
herds went north, and in them there were
nearly 10000 head of cattle. 1t took
about 1000 men to handle these cattle,
and as to hold the herds in order each
man required q mount of seven or eight.
il required 5000 horses to convoy the
vast droves TO their destination The cat
tie had been multiplying for many years
on the pastures of Texas, and. an outlet
70 market for them was imperatively
needed. This great pastoral movement,
supposed to be the greatest the world
ever saw, was "The Outlet" The value
of the drive in 1884 ran into the millions.
That was well chosen time to picture
the cowboy, and the life on the trails.
Andy Adams shows a complete familiari-
ty with the subject he has chosen. He
goes into minute details Of the work, and
thus weaves his story with something
like a historic description of that pictur-
esoue phase of our Industrial life which
has practically passed away. Mingled
with the telling is much good philosophy.
A mere detail of a boss instructions, or
settlement of dispute, contains lesson
Of life that might be applicable TO any
large decisions where character and COM
mon sense count The book bristles with
the forceful and peculiar phrases OF the
cowboy Adams can talk in cowboy as II
he were to the manner born and needed
not imaginative imitation as do some
writer's about character on the Western
plains who expect you to assume that
they have sbeen there more than very
superficialIy This author has been there
so thoroughly that with his words ne
can carry your mind where his has been
He gives you passing ghmpses OF COWBOY
hardships and the matter OF course way
they are borne There is little luxury
even in camp, and when you happen to
get shut off from It then there's hunger
and thirst by day and chilly sleeping by
night. Land terrapin make larruping
good eating when you are cut OF from
camp this way. Blankets? Never use
them; sleep on your belly and cover with
your back. and get up with the birds In
the morning.
THE story starts out with the ac-
count of what the author calls open
ing the campaign" The drover is pick
ing hts trail bosses and the men who
are to serve under them He prefers
men who are not prone TO admire their
shadow in sunny, nor get nomeslck III
falling weather. When the trail bosses
are selecting the mounts for the diff
ferent herds they have a dispute about
the method of division. each one, of
course. wanting to get the best saddle
horses One proposes to make running
cuts of ten head each. and then toss
up for choice of the punches. The op-
posing foreman prefers 10 choose the
horses one by one. and turn about.
They appeal TO the drover, and he
rides up and promptly decides the diff
ference thus; We'll. the way size this
up." said old man Don, "one of you
wants 10 rely on his own judgment
and the other don't 1t looks to me,
Ounce, you want a gamblers chance
where you can't lose. Toms willing
to bank on his own judgment, but you
amt. Now I like a man who does his
own thinking, and to give you a good
lesson in that line, why, divvy them,
horse and horse. turn about"
So the foreman who was willing to
back his own judgment first gets the best
mounts He knew the horses individ-
ually because on a return trip down