the passing of the frontier-第3章

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he　New　Worldthe　same　horses　that　the　Moors　had　brought　into　Spaina　breed　naturally　hardy　and　able　to　subsist　upon　dry　food。　Without　such　horses　there　could　have　been　no　cattle　industry。　These　horses；　running　wild　in　herds；　had　crossed　to　the　upper　Plains。　La　Verendrye；　and　later　Lewis　and　Clark；　had　found　the　Indians　using　horses　in　the　north。　The　Indians；　as　we　have　seen；　had　learned　to　manage　the　horse。　Formerly　they　had　used　dogs　to　drag　the　travois；　but　now　they　used　the　〃elk…dog；〃　as　they　first　called　the　horse。

In　the　original　cow　country；　that　is；　in　Mexico　and　Texas；　countless　herds　of　cattle　were　held　in　a　loose　sort　of　ownership　over　wide　and　unknown　plains。　Like　all　wild　animals　in　that　warm　country；　they　bred　in　extraordinary　numbers。　The　southern　range；　indeed；　has　always　been　called　the　breeding　range。　The　cattle　had　little　value。　He　who　wanted　beef　killed　beef。　He　who　wanted　leather　killed　cattle　for　their　hides。　But　beyond　these　scant　and　infrequent　uses　cattle　had　no　definite　value。

The　Mexican；　however；　knew　how　to　handle　cows。　He　could　ride　a　horse；　and　he　could　rope　cattle　and　brand　them。　Most　of　the　cattle　of　a　wide　range　would　go　to　certain　water…holes　more　or　less　regularly；　where　they　might　be　roughly　collected　or　estimated。　This　coming　of　the　cattle　to　the　watering…places　made　it　unnecessary　for　owners　of　cattle　to　acquire　ranch　land。　It　was　enough　to　secure　the　water…front　where　the　cows　must　go　to　drink。　That　gave　the　owner　all　the　title　he　needed。　His　right　to　the　increase　he　could　prove　by　another　phenomenon　of　nature；　just　as　inevitable　and　invariable　as　that　of　thirst。　The　maternal　instinct　of　a　cow　and　the　dependence　of　the　calf　upon　its　mother　gave　the　old　rancher　of　immemorial　times　sufficient　proof　of　ownership　in　the　increase　of　his　herd。　The　calf　would　run　with　its　own　mother　and　with　no　other　cow　through　its　first　season。　So　that　if　an　old　Mexican　ranchero　saw　a　certain　number　of　cows　at　his　watering…places；　and　with　them　calves；　he　knew　that　all　before　him　were　his　propertyor；　at　least；　he　claimed　them　as　such　and　used　them。

Still；　this　was　loose…footed　property。　It　might　stray　away　after　all；　or　it　might　be　driven　away。　Hence；　in　some　forgotten　time；　our　shrewd　Spaniard　invented　a　system　of　proof　of　ownership　which　has　always　lain　at　the　very　bottom　of　the　organized　cow　industry；　he　invented　the　method　of　branding。　This　meant　his　sign；　his　name；　his　trade…mark；　his　proof　of　ownership。　The　animal　could　not　shake　it　off。　It　would　not　burn　off　in　the　sun　or　wash　off　in　the　rain。　It　went　with　the　animal　and　could　not　be　eradicated　from　the　animal's　hide。　Wherever　the　bearer　was　seen；　the　brand　upon　its　hide　provided　certain　identification　of　the　owner。

Now；　all　these　basic　ideas　of　the　cow　industry　were　old　on　the　lower　range　in　Texas　when　our　white　men　first　drifted　thither。　The　cattle　industry；　although　in　its　infancy；　and　although　supposed　to　have　no　great　future；　was　developed　long　before　Texas　became　a　republic。　It　never；　indeed；　changed　very　much　from　that　time　until　the　end　of　its　own　career。

One　great　principle　was　accepted　religiously　even　in　those　early　and　crude　days。　A　man's　cow　was　HIS　cow。　A　man's　brand　was　HIS　brand。　There　must　be　no　interference　with　his　ownership。　Hence　certain　other　phases　of　the　industry　followed　inevitably。　These　cattle；　these　calves；　each　branded　by　the　iron　of　the　owner；　in　spite　of　all　precautions；　began　to　mingle　as　settlers　became　more　numerous；　hence　came　the　idea　of　the　round…up。　The　country　was　warm　and　lazy。　If　a　hundred　or　a　thousand　cows　were　not　collected；　very　well。　If　a　calf　were　separated　from　its　mother；　very　well。　The　old　ranchers　never　quarreled　among　themselves。　They　never　would　have　made　in　the　South　anything　like　a　cattle　association；　it　was　left　for　the　Yankees　to　do　that　at　a　time　when　cows　had　come　to　have　far　greater　values。　There　were　few　arguments　in　the　first　rodeos　of　the　lower　range。　One　rancher　would　vie　with　his　neighbor　in　generosity　in　the　matter　of　unbranded　calves。　Haggling　would　have　been　held　contemptible。　On　the　lower　range　in　the　old　times　no　one　cared　much　about　a　cow。　Why　should　one　do　so？　There　was　no　market　for　cowsno　one　who　wished　to　buy　them。　If　one　tendered　a　Mexican　cinquo　pesos　for　a　yearling　or　a　two…year…old；　the　owner　might　perhaps　offer　the　animal　as　a　gift；　or　he　might　smile　and　say　〃Con　mucho　gusto〃　as　he　was　handed　a　few　pieces　of　silver。　There　were　plenty　of　cows　everywhere　in　the　world！

Let　us；　therefore；　give　the　old　Spaniard　full　credit　alike　in　picturesque　romance　and　in　the　organized　industry　of　the　cow。　The　westbound　thrust　which　came　upon　the　upper　part　of　the　range　in　the　days　of　more　shrewd　and　exacting　business　methods　was　simply　the　best…known　and　most　published　phase　of　frontier　life　in　the　cow　country；　hence　we　have　usually　accepted　it　as　typical。　It　would　not　be　accurate　to　say　that　the　cattle　industry　was　basically　much　influenced　or　governed　by　northern　or　eastern　men。　In　practically　all　of　its　great　phenomena　the　frontier　of　the　old　cow…range　was　southern　by　birth　and　growth。

There　lay；　then；　so　long　unused；　that　vast　and　splendid　land　so　soon　to　write　romantic　history　of　its　own；　so　soon　to　come　into　the　admiration　or　the　wonder　of　a　great　portion　of　the　eartha　land　of　fascinating　interest　to　the　youth　of　every　country；　and　a　region　whose　story　holds　a　charm　for　young　and　old　alike　even　today。　It　was　a　region　royal　in　its　dimensions。　Far　on　the　west　it　was　hedged　by　the　gray…sided　and　white…topped　mountains；　the　Rockies。　Where　the　buffalo　once　lived；　the　cattle　were　to　live；　high　up　in　the　foothills　of　this　great　mountain　range　which　ran　from　the　Rio　Grande　to　Canada。　On　the　east；　where　lay　the　Prairies　rather　than　the　Plains；　it　was　a　country　waving　with　high　native　grasses；　with　many　brilliant　flowers　hiding　among　them；　the　sweet…William；　the　wild　rose；　and　often　great　masses　of　the　yellow　sunflower。

》From　the　Rio　Grande　to　the　Athabaska；　for　the　greater　part；　the　frontier　sky　was　blue　and　cloudless　during　most　of　the　year。　The　rainfall　was　not　great。　The　atmosphere　was　dry。　It　was　a　cheerful　country；　one　of　optimism　and　not　of　gloom。　In　the　extreme　south；　along　the　Rio　Grande；　the　climate　was　moister；　warmer；　more　enervating；　but　on　the　high　steppes　of　the　middle　range　in　Colorado；　Wyoming；　Montana；　western　Nebraska；　there　lay　the　finest　out…of…doors　country；　man's　country　the　finest　of　the　earth。

But　for　the　time；　busy　with　more　accustomed　things；　mining　and　freighting　and　fighting　and　hunting　and　trading　and　trapping；　we　Americans　who　had　arrived　upon　the　range　cared　little　for　cows。　The　upper　thrust　of　the　great　herds　from　the　south　into　the　north　had　not　begun。　It　was　after　the　Civil　War　that　the　first　great　drives　of　cattle　from　the　south　toward　the　north　began；　and　after　men　had　learned　in　the　State　of　Texas　that　cattle　moved　from　the　Rio　Grande　to　the　upper　portions　of　the　State　and　fed　on　the　mesquite　grass　would　attain　greater　stature　than　in　the　hot　coast　country。　Then　swiftly；　somewhat　luridly；　there　leaped　into　our　comprehension　and　our　interest　that　strange　country　long　loosely　held　under　our　flag；　the　region　of　the　Plains；　the　region　which　we　now　call　the　Old　West。

In　great　bands；　in　long　lines；　slowly；　towheaded；　sore…footed；　the　vast　gatherings　of　the　prolific　lower　range　moved　north；　each　cow　with　its　title　indelibly　marked　upon　its　hide。　These　cattle　were　now　going　to　take　the　place　of　those　on　which　the　Indians　had　depended　for　their　living　these　many　years。　A　new　day　in　American　history　had　dawned。



Chapter　III。　The　Cattle　Trails

The　customary　method　of　studying　history　by　means　of　a　series　of　events　and　dates　is　not　the　method　which　we　have　chosen　to　employ　in　this　study　of　the　Old　West。　Speaking　generally；　our　minds　are　unable　to　assimilate　a　condensed　mass　of　events　and　dates；　and　that　is　precisely　what　would　be　required　of　us　if　we　should　attempt　here　to　follow　the　ways　of　conventional　history。　Dates　are　at　best　no　more　than　milestones　on　the　pathway　of　time；　and　in　the　present　instance　it　is　not　the　milestones　but　the　road　itself　with　which　we　are　concerned。　Where　does　the　road　begin？　Why　comes　it　hither？　Whither　does　it　lead？　These　are　the　real　questions。

Under　all　the　exuberance　of　the　life　of　the　range　there　lay　a　steady　business　of　tremendous　size　and　enormous　values。　The　〃uproarious　iniquity〃　of　the　West；　its　picturesqueness；　its　vividnessthese　were　but　froth　on　the　stream。　The　stream　itself　was　a　steady　and　somber　flood。　Beyond　this　picturesqueness　of　environment　very　few　have　cared　to　go；　and　therefore　sometimes　have　had　little　realization　of　the　vastness　of　the　cowboy's　kingdom；　the　〃magnitude　of　the　interests　in　his　care；　or　the　fortitude；　resolution；　and　instant　readiness　essential　to　his　daily　life。〃　The　American　cowboy　is　the　most　modern　representative　of　a　human　industry　that　is　second　to　very　few　in　antiquity。

Julius　Caesar　struck　the　note　of　real　history：　Quorum　pars　magna　fui〃Of　which　I　was　a　great　part。〃　If　we　are　to　seek　the　actual　truth；　we　ought　most　to　value　contemporary　records；　representations　made　by　men　who　were　themselves　a　part　of　the　scenes　which　they　describe。　In　that　way　we　shall　arrive　not　merely　upon　lurid　events；　not　alone　upon　the　stereotyped　characters　of　the　〃Wild　West；〃　but　upon　causes　which　are　much　more　interesting　and　immensely　more　valuable　than　any　merely　titillating　stories　from　the　weirdly　illustrated　Apocrypha　of　the　West。　We　must　go　below　such　things　if　we　would　gain　a　just　and　lasting　estimate　of　the　times。　We　ought　to　look　on　the　old　range　neither　as　a　playground　of　idle　men　nor　as　a　scene　of　hysterical　and　contorted　human　activities。　We　ought　to　look　upon　it　from　the　point　of　view　of　its　uses　to　mankind。　The　explorers　found　it　a　wilderness；　the　home　of　the　red　man　and　the　buffalo。　What　were　the　underlying　causes　of　its　settlement　and　development？

There　is　in　history　no　agency　so　wondrous　in　events；　no　working　instrumentality　so　great　as　transportation。　The　great　seeking　of　all　human　life　is　to　find　its　level。　Perhaps　the　first　men　traveled　by　hollowed　logs　down　stream。　Then　possibly　the　idea　of　a　sail　was　conceived。　Early　in　the　story　of　the　United　States　men　made　commercial　journeys　from　the　head　of　the　Ohio　to　the　mouth　of　the　Mississippi　by　flatboats；　and　came　back　by　keelboats。　The　pole；　the　cordelle；　the　paddle；　and　the　sail；　in　turn　helped　them　to　navigate　the　great　streams　which　led　out　into　the　West。　And　presently　there　was　to　come　that　tremendous　upheaval　wrought　by　the　advent　of　the　iron　trails　which；　scorning　alike　waterways　and　mountain　ranges；　flung　themselves　almost　directly　westward　across　the　continent。

The　iron　trails；　crossing　the　northern　range　soon　after　the　Civil　War；　brought　a　market　to　the　cattle　country。　Inevitably　the　men　of　the　lower　range　would　seek　to　reach　the　railroads　with　what　they　had　to　selltheir　greatest　natural　product；　cattle　on　the　hoof。　This　was　the　primary　cause　of　the　great　northbound　drives　already　mentioned；　the　greatest　pastoral　phenomena　in　the　story　of　the　world。

The　southern　herds　at　that　time　had　no　market　at　their　doors。　They　had　to　go　to　the　market；　and　they　had　to　go　on　foot。　That　meant　that　they　must　be　driven　northward