The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1922-08-25
and Thrilling Adventures the Old the Type
Cowboys Herds Longhon Ranges

Ipuncher for leaving his herd till his
relief came.
Long, Sleepless Days and
Nights When Things Went Wrong
"The first break of day was
breakfast time. Then short time
was allowed for letting the herd
Craze before they were thrown into
the trail. At noon if water was
reached, half of the boys would
ride into camp to eat and change
horses, hurrying out to relieve their
comrades. The herd was kept on
the trail till the sun began to get
low, when it was grazed onto the
background. The first guard would
hold till 10 o'clock; the second till
midnight; the third till 2 o'clock
and the last guard held till day
break. On bad nights half the men
stood guard till midnight or later,
and if the herd was acting badly
and half the punchers could not
hold them, the whole outfit would
ride all night Then they would
throw the herd onto the trail and
ride all day. Catch up your sleep
next winter the trail boss would
say. This herds got to move if
the earth stops spinning
zone time on Plum Creek, near
the Platte river, I remember, we
had had two bad nights and nobody
had got wink of sleep for nearly
90 hours. My partner rode up to
me and said: Teddy, old boy, I'm
going north clear to Greenland
where the nights is six months
long. I'm going to bed early and
not get up until 10 o'clock the next
day.
Loss of sleep was the worst
thing on the trail. I've many a |
time rubbed tobacco in my eyes to
keep them open. But some way, |
when you rode into camp finally |
and got a cup of hot coffee you'd
forget it and even be ready for
another guard without resting.
"The trail boss had to do more
riding than any of the rest of the 7
outfit, for he had to know where
water was a day ahead of reaching
t. AS we were always going into
lew country, it kept him guessing,
IS all drives were made according
0 where water was. Some would Il
'e long and others short. We
would have dry drives 40 miles
ong. After he had watered on a /
ong drive like that, the boss would {
ush his herd along the trail away
ITO the night The next morning /
the wind was in the north we II
Tere all right, for the herd couldn't t
nell the water we had left behind,
ut if it blew from behind we had
1r work cut out, for they would :
y to break back to water again. =
the herd got away and back to :
alter, we felt that we had lost our :
quotations. Cattle, when the wind :,
right, can smell water so miles :
way, old cowpunchers believe. l .
in '82 herd of Harry :.
anders was going into Green v
liver, and when five miles away .
e wind blew from another quar- y
r and they ran 80 miles before =
ey reached the water they smell r
!. have seen another herd, go r
g in on water not two miles away, =,
tch wind from one side, turn u,
,e one COW and run 10 miles to &c
other stream or lake. Il
Then there was another chance -,
r trouble in watering a herd. The =;
Ill boss had to hit big river =,
st at the right time of day. If
: sun reflected in their eyes and -
ere was enough breeze to make
ives the longhorns wouldn't take Il
: water. In '83 a well known II
ii boss, Johnny Lea, was four
US crossing the Yellowstone river tn