ROCKY MOUNTAINS AND WESTERN CATTLE LAND. 133 



excepting the one fired at, which followed the others a 

 short way, then turned slowly down towards Button, 

 and I found her lying dead close to my horse, in a 

 dense piece of timber. It occupied me for exactly an 

 hour to take the whole hide and as much meat as the 

 broncho could carry, and to pack them on the saddle, 

 and I reached camp four hours later. Next day, the 

 ' round up ' left to drive the steers to the Union Pacific 

 Eailway, about eighty miles distant, for shipment to 

 Chicago, so our horses had to be caught out of the 

 round-up herd, as well as the others for the morning's 

 work. The morning horse -catching is always a scene 

 of wild tumult. When a man sees the horse he wants 

 he rushes forward, whirling his lasso over his head, 

 and seeking an opportunity for throwing it, while the 

 whole herd revolves madly round and round the correl. 

 "When a horse is lassoed, or ' roped,' as the Western 

 phrase goes, he generally becomes quiet, and allows 

 himself to be saddled and bridled without any trouble, 

 and will stand for hours if the reins are merely dropped 

 over his head to the ground. All the i boys' take 

 their turn at herding the cattle, which are generally 

 about a mile from the camp. Sometimes a stampede 

 takes place. The last occurred 'right here,' and was 

 caused, according to 'Boney,' by the i boys' using 

 bear-grease to smear their lariats ; then the appear- 

 ance of a dog ' settled it.' The next minute the 

 ground fairly trembled under the tread of the 

 frightened brutes. The night was pitch dark, and 

 the sound of the flying herd the only guide for the 



