82 THE COW-CATCHER. 



usual at every little hut of the free citizens, to show, I 

 suppose, that the city and the cabin were alike consi 

 dered ; but to the very great loss of time and, I should 

 deem, to the waste of steam and fuel, for the merchan 

 dise delivered or the passengers put down were often 

 none at all. During my progress from Altoona and 

 Pittsburgh to Cincinnati and Staubenville the train con 

 tinually and for miles ran through the primeval forests 

 as well as cultivated lands, and, when not ascending or 

 descending the Alleghany Mountains, over a very flat 

 line of wooded country, and there being no fence on 

 either side the rail, the danger of collision with cattle, 

 which were straying in all directions through the forest, 

 was imminent. We all had, however, or seemed to 

 have, a lively faith in the " cow-catcher," and the great 

 est contempt for the lives of pigs, sheep, men, women, 

 and children, or the obstruction and distress that their 

 dead bodies might occasion ; and though some of the 

 passengers had distorted limbs, or limbs weakened by 

 fractures from accidents on that very line of rail, nothing 

 seemed to keep us from being very jolly, nor to stint the 

 good humour of the company. 



" Does the cow-catcher," I asked, " always i cant' the 

 beef on one side?" "Yes," replied the conductor, 

 " guess it does, but I have known a cow canted upwards 

 and carried on the top of the catcher for some distance ; 

 however, not long ago on our line a bull gin us a share 

 of his difficulty, for instead of getting out of the way on 

 the sound of the whistle, on he came at the top of his 

 speed, full butt, tail on end, and guess there was a con-si- 

 der-a-ble smash, for he was split, the engine knocked off 

 the rails, and the driver killed. Cows take it easier ; 



