OF A RANCHMAN 



all night long. The cattle seem to like to 

 hear the human voice, and it tends to keep 

 them quiet and free from panic. Often \ 

 camping near some great cattle outfit I have 

 lain awake at night for an hour or over lis- 

 tening to the wild, not unmusical, calls of 

 the cowboys as they rode round the half- 

 slumbering steers. In the clear, still night 

 air the calls can be heard for a mile and 

 more, and I like to listen to them as they 

 come through the darkness, half mellowed 

 by the distance, for they are one of the 

 characteristic sounds of plains life. Texan 

 steers often give considerable trouble before 

 they can be bedded, and are prone to stam- 

 pede, especially in a thunder-storm. But 

 with the little herd we were at this time 

 guarding there was no difficulty whatever, 

 the animals being grade shorthorns of East- 

 ern origin. After seeing them quiet we 

 would leave them for the night, again riding 

 out early in the morning. 



On every occasion when we thus rode out 

 in the morning we saw great numbers of 



