264 SPORT, TRAVEL, AND ADVENTURE 



felt hat, a ' genuine Stetson,' which cost him from 

 five to twenty dollars, never less. To keep the big 

 hat in place a thong or cord is tied around and below 

 the back of the head instead of under the chin, experi- 

 ence having proved it to be much more effective in 

 that position. His six-shooter had plates of silver on 

 the handle, and his scabbard was covered with silver 

 buttons. It should be said that a saddle, such as we 

 all used, cost from forty to sixty dollars, and weighed 

 generally about forty pounds, not counting saddle- 

 blankets. Sometimes the saddle had only one cinch, 

 or girth, generally two, one of which reached well back 

 under the flank. Such heavy saddles were necessary 

 for heavy work, roping big cattle, etc. The stirrups 

 were then generally made of wood, very big and broad 

 in sole and very heavy, sometimes covered with tapa- 

 deros, huge leather caps to save the feet from thorns 

 in heavy brush and protect them from cold in severe 

 weather. 



To protect our legs we wore over the trousers heavy 

 leather chaparejos, sometimes of bear or buffalo hide. 

 Let it be noted that a genuine cow-puncher never 

 rolls his shirt-sleeves up, as depicted in romancing 

 novels ; indeed, he either protects his wrists with leather 

 wristlets or wears long gauntlet gloves. Mounted on 

 his favourite horse, his was a gay cavalier figure, and 

 at the ' Baillie ' he felt himself to be irresistible to 

 the shy and often very pretty Mexican sehoritas. There 

 you have a pretty faithful picture of the cowboy of 

 twenty-five years ago. 



It remains to say something of the ' shooting irons.' 

 In the days of which I write there was no restriction 

 to the bearing of arms. Every man carried a six- 





