. Our country: West. mountains, among the canons ofwhich his cattle find shelter from the storms, and sleeps on thesnow, wrapped like an Eskimo, with just a breathing-hole inhis blanket, resting comfortably, with the temperature of theColorado night sinking below zero. This is the life of his choice. But he is his own master,and the master of other men. There are other former collegeboys who are now cowboys, but only a small proportion ofthem have his immense advantages. He acts as his own foreman, thereby saving a greatexpense. Foremen on large ranches command high wages,often a share in the
. Our country: West. mountains, among the canons ofwhich his cattle find shelter from the storms, and sleeps on thesnow, wrapped like an Eskimo, with just a breathing-hole inhis blanket, resting comfortably, with the temperature of theColorado night sinking below zero. This is the life of his choice. But he is his own master,and the master of other men. There are other former collegeboys who are now cowboys, but only a small proportion ofthem have his immense advantages. He acts as his own foreman, thereby saving a greatexpense. Foremen on large ranches command high wages,often a share in the increase of the stock, but it is only an COWBOYS OF THE PLAINS. 323 experienced, able and fortunate man who obtains a situationof this kind. The ordinary herder works hard under strict discipline,obeying orders like a soldier, for thirty or forty dollars amonth. A good roper, however, gets more. A roper is onewho can throw the lasso and capture a steer stronger thanhis horse. It requires skill and agility to do The Cowboy in Winter. By saving his wages and investing them in cattle, thecowboy may in time get a small herd of his own, which willrapidly grow to be a large herd. Many prosperous ranchmenhave begun business in this way. But the majority of cowboys remain cowboys until theywear out, or weary of the work and turn to something hard life they lead induces reckless habits, and drink is 224 COWBOYS OF THE PLAINS. the curse of many a generous fellow, who without it could notfail to become an honorable and useful citizen. The traveller notices a great difference among cowboys, indifferent sections of the country, in respect to sobriety. Here,as a class, they are steady and industrious ; there, recklessand dissipated almost to a man. It seems as if a few strongspirits among them influenced the rest, for good or ill. Hencethe danger which every young man incurs who leaves familyand friends and becomes the daily associate of a powerful,generous, jovial, but too o
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