Newark evening star and Newark advertiser., 1915-10-21

which have become idioms among the
ranch men.
As an example, the spring "round
up" when the cattle are branded, is
termed a "rodeo" or a cattle drive.
Vaquero is the Spanish name for COW
! boy and a "buccaroo'' is a graduate
of the ranch who has reached the
dignity of a real broncho buster. A
"bronk" is a native horse of small
size, a sort of cross between the Mex
lean and Indian pony or cayeuse, and
an outlaw Is broncho that cannot be
successfully broken to saddle or har-
ness. I have seen many huckinS
bronchos that could not be ridden, yet
were perfectly docile and good work
ers in harness, and, strangely enough,
] | have seen this same class OF
hbronchos that would carry man any
| where and everywhere under saddle,
but would lie down, roll over and
have a frenzied fit when placed an
harness.
The cowboys and broncho busters
have a number of idioms and tech
nical phrases which they use in ex-
pressing themselves in unmistakable
terms. To illustrate, pulling leath-
err constitutes the act of grabbing
any part of the saddle when trying to
ride broncho. and this act is con-
sidered sufficient to disqualify rider
i'm any contest where prizes are Of
fered. Choking the horn" signifies
to grasp the pommel of the saddle,
"suueezing Lizzie" grabbing the
post" and "holding the jug-handle'
mean the same thing in ranch verna-
cular; and sloppy riding is a term
applied to anyone who sits loosely
in the saddle and allows the body to
rf,1rr ~ hn
which to the professional cowboy Is
not only bad form. but disgrace to
the calling. A close seat which is
steady and firm is what the cowboy
strives for, and the man who shows
daylight between his seat and the
saddle is not admitted into polite So
ciety
After all. fearlessness and ability to
ride a wild horse. rope and tie a
Texas steer, are the best passports
into real ranch life even today, and
the spirited contests which take place
in the frontier day celebrations, given
annually at cheyenne, or the stam-
pede at Pendleton and other western
points. are events where the cow
| boy is still the hero of the plains, No
cattle are too wild for him to cap
ture. no outlaw horses too vicious for
him to tackle, and the sun fishing
broncho, the kind that jumps into the
! air. tries to twist the rider off his
| back and goes down on his forward
| feet in a cork-screw curve, is his par
ticular delight. These festive occa-
sions usually wind up with a series of
broncho balls or dances on horseback,
which are equally enjoyed by the
cowboys, cowgirls and the willing vis-
itors from far and near
Likewise the story of the frontiers
men. the men who blazed the trail
| the pony express riders, those who
were instrumental in building up the
| Golden West, will soon have become
matters of record. This little stanza
taken from Hampton's Magazine
seems to describe their mission and
the Fate of the Frontiersman:"
| 1.-THE suns of summer scared his skin:
The cold his blood congealed.
The forest giants blocked his way;
The stubborn acres yield
He wrenehed from them by dnt of arm
And grim old Solitude
Broke bread with him and shared his col
Within the cabin rude.
The gray rocks gnarled his massive
hands;
The north wind shook his frame;
The wolf of hunger bit him oft,
The world forgot his name;
But mid the lurch and crash of trees,
| WITHIN the clearlWgs span
Where now the bursting wheat heads dip
The Fates turned out--a mani
In this connection it seems fittinf
that these chronicles should contain
something of the fearless riders whit
carried the mails and other valuabl,
articles across the plans on horse
back in the early days before rail
ways were completed and the lumber
ing stage coaches or wagon train,
exceedingly slow. or the brave deeds
stirring incidents and romantic ad
ventures OF the gallant riders of tn.
pony express volumes have been writ
ten, but much must forever remain
unwritten, as II can never be known
Nearly all of the participants in thes
memorable, unrecorded events hav
gone over the Great Divide" Th
bullet or arrow of the Indian or tn
border ruffian has blue penciled
many story that would have mad
most interesting reading had the OBJ
server ever lived to tell it.
The Pride of Pony Bob.
Among these nervy and daring me
or boys of their time will snentio
Pony Bob"-Robert Haslam--wh
was one of the early express rider
and bore the distinction OF being tn
man to carry the news OF Lincoln
- II