CHAPTER XXVII--COWBOY PECULIARITIES
After breakfast the little party went out upon the broad veranda.
The sun was still red, but it was growing smaller and hotter as itmounted into the sky.
Its slanting rays lighted up a rolling prairie, illimitable in expanseand stretching away till its irregular, wavy outline was marked againstthe sky.
Now and then, miles away, small clumps of stunted jack-oaks or mesquitemade dark green polka dot spots on the lighter color of the grass, whilefar away lay a genuine chaparral thicket.
Between the ranch and the chaparral a herd of several hundred cattlewere feeding.
Near the ranch house were outbuildings and corrals.
In the vicinity of these a number of cowboys could be seen moving about.
Still urging the boys to make themselves at home, Rodney left them.Before he departed, he sighted a body of horsemen riding down rapidlyfrom the northeast.
"Here come the boys from Tilford's ranch," he said. "I knew they'd bethe first ones to show up."
The boys watched the approaching riders with interest. Before long theycould be plainly seen, and, as they came near the ranch, they broke intoa mad gallop and came tearing across the prairie.
Anything wilder in appearance than those leather-clad "punchers" theimagination could not conceive. They yelled and cracked their quirts,spreading out into a long line, mounted on tough little ponies, whichtore over the ground with a twinkling movement of the legs which wasbewildering to one accustomed to the movements of an ordinary gallopinghorse.
Upon the heads of the riders were broad-brimmed hats, some of them beingof stiff rawhide and some being the well-known Stetson sombrero, whichcost anywhere from eighteen to eighty dollars.
Every man had a handkerchief knotted about his neck, and a cartridgebelt, bearing heavy revolvers in open holsters, about his waist.
Their hair was long and unkempt, and their faces were weather-tanned.
Some had on long-legged, high-heeled boots, and some wore leatherleggins, while at the heels of every man were heavy, murderous-lookingspurs.
With their jangling spurs, flapping ropes and buckskin strings,broad-brimmed hats, bright-colored handkerchiefs, they certainly were amost impressive cavalcade of prairie scamperers.
As they swept toward the corrals near the ranch, Rodney's men ran outand greeted them with a yell.
In return the Tilford men suddenly jerked out their "guns," and senttwenty shots into the air. Then they flung the little ponies on theirhaunches, stopping in an instant with such suddenness that almost anyfairly expert rider must have been sent flying headlong over theanimal's ears to the ground.
"There, fellows," smiled Frank, with a wave of his hand toward thearrivals, "there is a band of genuine wild and woolly cow-punchers. Takea good look at them, for the real cowboy is disappearing, and, in a veryfew years you will not be able to see a sight like that anywhere on thiscontinent."
"I suppose they are all right," said Diamond, "but it is plain enoughthat they are great bluffers."
"In what way?" asked Frank, quickly.
"In their get up. There is no reason why they should look so extremelytough beyond their own personal desire to appear like bad men."
"I think you are wrong, old fellow. Name something about them that theymight discard."
"Their long hair, to begin with. That is pure affectation."
"Not at all. Long hair is a necessity with them."
"Get out! How?"
"Well, you know they are exposed to all kinds of weather. Their businessis out of doors, rain or shine, and in many changes of climate. Theyhave found by experience that long hair protects their eyes and ears. Ifthey were to keep their hair cut short, many of them would be troubledwith sore eyes, pains in the head and loud ringing in the ears."
"That may be true," acknowledged Jack; "but just look at thoseoutrageous hats."
"That is the only sort of hat suitable for cowboys to wear, as itprotects from from the sun and from the rain. The very fact that it hasbeen used for generation after generation without changing fashion isenough to indicate that necessity, not vanity, dictated its origin."
"But see those wretched rawhide affairs."
"I see them. Those are the cheap hats, and they are made by the cowboysthemselves. Years ago every cowboy made his own hat, as manufacturershad not discovered that there was money in making hats for the punchers.An old cattleman once told me how they made their hats."
"How it peen done, Vrankie? You toldt us dot," urged Hans.
"When a cowboy wanted to make a hat for himself, he went out and dug inthe ground a hole as near the size and shape of his head as he couldmake it. Then a large, circular piece of rawhide, soft, wet and pliable,was spread over the hole. Next, with a bunch of grass or buckskin, thecenter of the rawhide was pressed down into the hole till it assumed itssize and shape. The surrounding circle of hide, which was to be thebrim, was kept flat on the ground by constant patting and pressing withthe hands. When the hat was molded, it was left till it was well driedby the sun. Then it was taken to a place where smoke and heat scorchedit till it was perfectly waterproof. When it was trimmed with stringsand straps, it was ready for use."
"How about those bright handkerchiefs the men use about their necks?Surely those are worn to attract attention. They might be carried in thepocket quite as well."
"Wrong again, Jack. Very often when riding at full speed the eyes of thecowboy are filled with mud or sand, and then the handkerchief is readyfor use. The man can catch up a corner and wipe out his eyes withoutpulling in his horse. In sand storms the handkerchief is sometimescalled into use as a veil. Having it tied about his neck, the owner ofthe handkerchief knows it is secure. If he had to take it out andrestore it to his pocket every time he used it, he would lose itfrequently. Sometimes he uses the handkerchief when his horse is racingalong, and the animal stumbles. The handkerchief must be droppedinstantly. He could not fail to lose it if it were not tied about hisneck."
"Well, look at those outrageous leather leggins. What are they for?"
"To protect their clothes from the wear and tear of the saddles, frombeing torn by thorns, mesquite or cactus, and sometimes to protect themfrom rattlesnakes."
"Hush! Well, how about the high heels on their boots? I have you there!That is a pure case of vanity, and you must acknowledge it."
Frank smiled.
"Not at all, my boy. Those boots cost from eighteen to forty dollars apair, and are made to order. The heels are long and sloping toward thesole of the foot not to make the foot look small, but to keep it fromslipping out of the stirrup in a time of danger, when the cowboy's horsemay be tearing along at breakneck speed. Those boots are made to ridein, not to walk in."
"But the spurs--the spurs!" cried Diamond, triumphantly. "They areoutrageous and cruel. Surely those huge implements of torture are madethus to look savage and attract attention."
"Not a bit of it. Singular as it may seem, the smaller spurs used in theEast are much more cruel. They cut the horse; these big spurs do not.They are made big and strong that they may not wear out. Sometimes theonly way a cowboy can save his horse from being run down by a mad steeris by using the spur sharply. At such a time it is far better for ahorse to be prodded with a steel spur than to have a foot or more ofhorns run into him, which might result in the throwing of the rider tobe trampled to death, and the loss of several hundred cattle. See?"
Diamond looked discomfited.
"At least, on one point I have you," he cried. "You can't get aroundit."
"Name the point."
"The fringe--the fringe on their suits. There is pure vanity, you willadmit."
"Quite the contrary. The fringe comes along the outside seam of theirtrousers and sleeves. There is no sewing there, but the buckskin isslashed in narrow strip and knotted together. That is the purpose thefringe plays. The ends are left to hide the knots and any holes thatmight be seen gaping between them."
"Be
gobs!" cried Barney, in admiration, "it's yersilf, Frankie, thotknows all about it, but pwhere yez got yer infermation is pwhat Oidunno."
"This is not the first time I have been among the cowboys, and I alwayskeep eyes and ears open wherever I am. I have managed to pick up suchknowledge as I possess concerning them by watching and listening. Theyhave ever been very interesting to me."
"Mr. Merriwell, I congratulate you!" cried Sadie Rodney. "I am surprisedto find a 'tenderfoot' knows so much about cow-punchers."
"I'd never faound aout half that if I'd lived right with them a year,"declared Ephraim Gallup. "They're darned pecooler critters, an' I guessthis one comin' this way is one of the most pecooler 'mongst 'em."
Indian Charlie had left the others, and was sauntering toward the littleparty on the veranda.
Sadie Rodney looked serious, and shrank close to Inza, in whose ear shemurmured:
"I am afraid of that man. He has asked me to marry him. I have refusedhim a dozen times, but he persists, and he says he will have me in spiteof myself. I do not dare anger him, for there is no telling what hemight do."
Frank heard her words.
"The fellow deserves a good thumping!" he mentally exclaimed.
Frank Merriwell's Athletes; Or, The Boys Who Won Page 27
