THE ROUND-UP 67 



cowboy only to break forth at a new spot. When finally they have lain 

 down and are chewing their cud or slumbering, the two night guards 

 begin riding round them in opposite ways, often, on very dark nights, 

 calling or singing to them, as the sound of the human voice on such occa- 

 sions seems to have a tendency to quiet them. In inky black weather, espe- 

 cially when rainy, it is both difficult and unpleasant work ; the main trust 

 must be placed in the horse, which, if old at the business, will of its own 

 accord keep pacing steadily round the herd, and head off any animals that, 

 unseen by the rider's eyes in the darkness, are trying to break out. Usually 

 the watch passes off without incident, but on rare occasions the cattle 

 become restless and prone to stampede. Anything may then start them 

 the plunge of a horse, the sudden approach of a coyote, or the arrival of 

 some outside steers or cows that have smelt them and come up. Every 

 animal in the herd will be on its feet in an instant, as if by an electric 

 shock, and off with a rush, horns and tail up. Then, no matter how rough 

 the ground nor how pitchy black the night, the cowboys must ride for all 

 there is in them and spare neither their own nor their horses' necks. 

 Perhaps their charges break away and are lost altogether ; perhaps, by 

 desperate galloping, they may head them off, get them running in a circle, 

 and finally stop them. Once stopped, they may break again, and possibly 

 divide up, one cowboy, perhaps, following each band. I have known six 

 such stops and renewed stampedes to take place in one night, the cowboy 

 staying with his ever-diminishing herd of steers until daybreak, when he 

 managed to get them under control again, and, by careful humoring of his 

 jaded, staggering horse, finally brought those that were left back to the 

 camp, several miles distant. The riding in these night stampedes is wild 

 and dangerous to a degree, especially if the man gets caught in the rush 

 of the beasts. It also frequently necessitates an immense amount of work 

 in collecting the scattered animals. On one such occasion a small party of 

 us were thirty-six hours in the saddle, dismounting only to change horses 

 or to eat. We were almost worn out at the end of the time ; but it must 

 be kept in mind that for a long spell of such work a stock-saddle is far 

 less tiring than the ordinary Eastern or English one, and in every way 

 superior to it. 



By very hard riding, such a stampede may sometimes be prevented. 

 Once we were bringing a thousand head of young cattle down to my 

 lower ranch, and as the river was high were obliged to take the inland 

 trail. The third night we were forced to make a dry camp, the cattle hav- 

 ing had no water since the morning. Nevertheless, we got them bedded 

 down without difficulty, and one of the cowboys and myself stood first 



