44 THE COW 



land was not able to bear them, that they might 

 dwell together: for their substance was great, so 

 that they could not dwell together. And there 

 was a strife between the herdmen of Abram's 

 cattle and the herdmen of Lot's cattle. And 

 Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I 

 pray thee, between me and thee, and between my 

 herdmen and thy herdmen; for we be brethren. 

 Is not the whole land before thee? Separate thy- 

 self, I pray thee, from me: if thou wilt take the 

 left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou 

 depart to the right hand, then I will go to the 

 left. And Lot lifted up his eyes, and, beheld all 

 the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every- 

 where. Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan ; 

 and Lot journeyed east : and they separated them- 

 selves the one from the other." Thus briefly did the 

 Chronicler set down the story of an ancient quar- 

 rel and its wise settlement, and that same story 

 has been repeated in every country and age until 

 now, and nowhere more bitterly and insistently 

 than in these very years in the range country of our 

 own western states. 



Pasturage surely represents the first beginnings 

 of agriculture. Doubtless herds grew to large 

 numbers and wandered widely before any man be- 

 gan to set up landmarks and boundaries and to 

 claim a certain portion of the earth's surface for 

 himself and for his heirs and assigns forever. 

 Only when one man's pasture range began to en- 



