The star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1908-1909, 1908-11-23
CHAPTER XIV.
The Round-Up.

Inc UttNnu-O
VIM UGH has been written of the
passing of the cowboy. With
the fenced range, winter feed
and short drives his occupation
once appeared to be gone. But the
war of the sheep and cattlemen in the
States has recently caused the
government to compel the cattlemen to
remove the fences and permit the herds
of sheep and cattle to range over pub
lie lands, and this means a return of
the regime of the cowboy, with its old
institutions.
Chief among these is the roundup.
A sheepman can shear wherever ne
happens to be. He can entrain at the
nearest shipping point to his grazing
bed. But a herd of cattle will range
four hundred miles In a season, so the
cattlemen will be forced to revive the
roundup, and make the long drives
either back to the home ranch, or to
the railroad. More cowboys will ave
to be employed. All the free life of the
open will return. At work the COW
puncher Is not of the drinking. carous-
ing, fght-hupting type; nor again is
he of the daring romantic school. He
is a Western man of the plains. True,
after loading up his cattle and getting
"paid off," he may spend his vacation
with less dignity and quiet than a bank
clerk. But after a year of hard work
with coarse fare he u have some
relaxation. He takes what he hnds.
The cattle-towns cater to his worst
passions. He is as noisy in his spend
ing as a college boy, and, on the aver
age. Just as good natured and eager to
have a good time.
Only a man of tried and proved cour-
age can hold his job. Skill and daring
are needed to handle the half-wild
boasts of the herds. The steer respects
no one on foot, but has a wholesome
fear for a mounted man IKE sep
arately, neither man nor horse has the
smallest chance with range cattle, but
the combination inspires the fear
noticeable among the Apaches for
cavalrymen as compared with their
contempt for f~oot-soldiers.
The long-horned steer will fight with
the foreclosures of a tiger. A mad
dened COW will attack even a man on
horseback. The most desperate bat
ties Of the range are with cows who
have lost their calves.
The cow-puncher first comes in con-
tact with his cattle at h roundup.
The outfit consists of a foreman with
eight men to each thousand head as
drivers. Each man has from six to
ten mounts. The broncos are only
half broken. But they follow a steer
like a terrier does n ball. They delight
in the game as much as a polo pony.
A chuck-wagon accompanies each
outfit. This is usually of the United
States army type, solidly built, and
hauled by four mules. The cook of
the outfit is the driver. He has a
helper, a tenderfoot, or a boy learning
the trade. In the field only the bravest
dares defy the cook. His word on the
camp is law. All the men are subject
to his call. In the wagon are carried
a. tent, the mems bedding, sleeping
bags and stores consisting of pork,
navy beans, flour, potatoes, canned to-
matoes and canned peaches. At the
rear end of the wagon bed Is a built
I'D cupboard, the door of which can
be lowered with straps to make a table.
Dishes, the lighter food supplies, and a
small medicine-ches are stored there
A water-barrel Is strapped to the side
of the wagon. Enough fire-wood for
emergency use Is packed under the
drivers seat. No wagon Is complete
without a bucket hanging from the
axle.
The snare horses are driven with the
herd, the men taking turns at the task.
At daybreak each mornlng the cow
boys scatter from the mess-wagon, rid
ing I'D and down the draws INT over
the hills, driving In the cattle for
hro,dino apd fhe "ctiftino Outv Or
separating from the herd. of market
able beeves. These are known as
"dogies," "sea-lions," and "longhorns."
The size as well as the nickname de-
ponds upon the location Of the range.
The cattle of the Sweetwater valley
were smaller than the northern stock.
From four to six thousand were driven
at a time. The calves are lassoed