CHAPTER XV 

 AMONG THE COWBOYS 



THE cowboy of twenty-five years ago was superior in 

 the matter of dress and accoutrements to those of to- 

 day. His glory departed with the opening up of the 

 country by railways, and he is now to be found prac-, 

 tically only in the " Wild West " companies of the 

 various showmen. One of the best descriptions of 

 the old-time cowboy is given by Mr. Thomas Carson 

 in his reminiscences of ranch-life l : "In those days 

 the cowboy's saddle was gaily decorated with masses 

 of silver, in the shape of buttons, buckles, and trim- 

 mings, etc. Likewise his bridle and bit ; his spurs 

 were works of loving art from the hands of the village 

 metal-worker, and likewise heavily plated with silver. 

 The rowels were huge but blunt -pointed, and had little 

 metal bells attached. His boots cost him near a 

 month's pay, always made to careful order, with enor- 

 mously high and narrow heels, as high as any fashion- 

 able woman's ; his feet were generally extremely small, 

 because of his having lived in the saddle from early 

 boyhood up. He wore a heavy woollen shirt, with a 

 gorgeous and costly silk handkerchief tied loosely round 

 his neck. His head-covering was a very large grey 

 1 See Bibliography, 46. 



