WORK ON A NATIONAL FOREST 



477 



looked tired, too. So, I stood for it, an' 

 helped 'em pack in the morning." 



As I heard the story, none of the 

 foregoing was known to the supervisor 

 of that forest, who happened to meet 

 the social science man a few days later. 

 He could not but notice that the pro- 

 fessor was entirely out of touch with 

 his environment, that the so-called 

 "guide" was hardly worth choking, and 

 that the ladies of the party evidently ex- 

 pected something to drop. (You will 

 please remember that the social science 

 man had been cavorting around in the 

 region for several weeks, and had had 

 many and peculiar experiences with 

 people.) 



The sociologist complained that a 

 forest officer had used a swear-word at 

 him — a real big and naughty word, be- 

 cause he put some horses in a Govern- 

 ment pasture. There was plenty of feed 

 there. The impudent officer should be 

 dismissed from the Service. And he 

 presented his card, which the supervisor 

 examined with humble admiration. 



Then the supervisor, according to 

 the story, asked everybody to rest in 

 the shade, while he told them about the 

 forest guard, and the regulations. 



"This guard," he said, in closing, 

 "whose pasture you took possession of 

 gets $60 a month, and furnishes his 

 own outfit, which cost him $175. He 

 helps his mother, and helps send a sis- 

 ter to school. He is developing into a 

 fine, capable American citizen, doing 

 very effective work, on one of the real 

 fighting lines of our civilization. If 

 you and your guide had been alone, 

 you would evidently have been taught a 

 lesson in manners and honesty that 

 might have borne fruit in somewhat 

 more useful public lectures on social 

 science. As it is, you have been treated 

 with extreme forbearance." 



Of course, this was the "exception 

 that proves the rule." Almost univer- 

 sal good-will exists between tourists 

 and forest officers, and they help each 

 other in a thousand ways. 



Rangers vary much in their horse 

 outfits — the personal element enters 

 broadly into small details. They often, 

 when "green hands," begin with the or- 



nate and expensive. They usually end 

 in a severe simplicity of strength and 

 fitness. What they reach at last is 

 "just everyday use" for our mountain 

 wear. It isn't at all the "cowboy rig" 

 of the Southwest, for no roping is re- 

 quired and so the saddle can be much 

 lighter. Then, the riding is different, 

 too. We seem to be feeling our way to 

 a distinctive manner of our own on 

 horseback. A sort of easy alertness and 

 interest in the work that never lets up, 

 that takes no sprees after pay day, and 

 that deals with a great variety of sub- 

 jects. The man knows, and the horse 

 knows, and both like it. The nervous 

 little Indian ponies are dropping out ; 

 we ride stronger, quieter horses than 

 we did five years ago. 



The "new chums" come in and at 

 once begin to worry about horse-flesh. 

 Once four or five of them, after much 

 consultation, took leaves of absence, 

 hired horses, and rode over the valley 

 towns till they came back with the 

 most forlorn collection of Rosinantes 

 that wily ranchers and livery stables 

 ever worked off on unsuspecting in- 

 nocence. They had raw colts with 

 wicked eyes, and staggering, old sta- 

 gers, welted and collar-sore. These they 

 proceeded to "break," on successive 

 Sunday afternoons in camp, while old- 

 er rangers smoked, and looked on in 

 great contentment of spirit. One of 

 these, when he could stand it no longer 

 without breaking up into pieces, got me 

 out behind a tree and said : 



"That wall-eyed brute that the new 

 fellow from Sonoma is educatin' to a 

 saddle has been on an eight-horse team 

 down in Fresno for 'bout twenty-nine 

 years to my certain knowledge !" 



Does any one think that the older 

 rangers should habitually protect new- 

 comers from these things ? It cannot be 

 done, and if it could be would hardly 

 prove wise. You must not take away 

 from a young man these drastic and 

 self-illuminating experiences. 



For myself, I do remember well that 

 when I was a callow youth of eighteen, 

 teaching my first school, I was beguiled 

 into a series of successive horse trades, 

 in the course of which a hundred- 



