hunting the grisly and other sketches-第31章

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bad　little　horse　fed　on　grass。　After　Buffalo　Bill's　men　had　returned；
I　occasionally　heard　it　said　that　they　had　tried　cross…country　riding
in　England；　and　had　shown　themselves　pre…eminently　skilful　thereat；
doing　better　than　the　English　fox…hunters；　but　this　I　take　the　liberty
to　disbelieve。　I　was　in　England　at　the　time；　hunted　occasionally
myself；　and　was　with　many　of　the　men　who　were　all　the　time　riding　in
the　most　famous　hunts；　men；　too；　who　were　greatly　impressed　with　the
exhibitions　of　rough　riding　then　being　given　by　Buffalo　Bill　and　his
men；　and　who　talked　of　them　much；　and　yet　I　never；　at　the　time；　heard
of　an　instance　in　which　one　of　the　cowboys　rode　to　hounds　with　any
marked　success。＇*＇　In　the　same　way　I　have　sometimes　in　New　York　or
London　heard　of　men　who；　it　was　alleged；　had　been　out　West　and　proved
better　riders　than　the　bronco…busters　themselves；　just　as　I　have　heard
of　similar　men　who　were　able　to　go　out　hunting　in　the　Rockies　or　on
the　plains　and　get　more　game　than　the　western　hunters；　but　in　the
course　of　a　long　experience　in　the　West　I　have　yet　to　see　any　of　these
men；　whether　from　the　eastern　States　or　from　Europe；　actually　show
such　superiority　or　perform　such　feats。

＇*＇　It　is　however；　quite　possible；　now　that　Buffalo　Bill's　company　has
　　　　crossed　the　water　several　times；　that　a　number　of　the　cowboys　have
　　　　by　practice　become　proficient　in　riding　to　hounds；　and　in　steeple…
　　　　chasing。

It　would　be　interesting　to　compare　the　performances　of　the　Australian
stock…riders　with　those　of　our　own　cowpunchers；　both　in　cow…work　and
in　riding。　The　Australians　have　an　entirely　different　kind　of　saddle；
and　the　use　of　the　rope　is　unknown　among　them。　A　couple　of　years　ago
the　famous　western　rifle…shot；　Carver；　took　some　cowboys　out　to
Australia；　and　I　am　informed　that　many　of　the　Australians　began
themselves　to　practise　with　the　rope　after　seeing　the　way　it　was　used
by　the　Americans。　An　Australian　gentleman；　Mr。　A。　J。　Sage；　of
Melbourne；　to　whom　I　had　written　asking　how　the　saddles　and　styles　of
riding　compared；　answered　me　as　follows：

　〃With　regard　to　saddles；　here　it　is　a　moot　question　which　is　the
　　better；　yours　or　ours；　for　buck…jumpers。　Carver's　boys　rode　in
　　their　own　saddles　against　our　Victorians　in　theirs；　all　on
　　Australian　buckers；　and　honors　seemed　easy。　Each　was　good　in　his
　　own　style；　but　the　horses　were　not　what　I　should　call　really　good
　　buckers；　such　as　you　might　get　on　a　back　station；　and　so　there　was
　　nothing　in　the　show　that　could　unseat　the　cowboys。　It　is　only　back
　　in　the　bush　that　you　can　get　a　really　good　bucker。　I　have　often
　　seen　one　of　them　put　both　man　and　saddle　off。〃

This　last　is　a　feat　I　have　myself　seen　performed　in　the　West。　I
suppose　the　amount　of　it　is　that　both　the　American　and　the　Australian
rough　riders　are；　for　their　own　work；　just　as　good　as　men　possibly　can
be。

One　spring　I　had　to　leave　the　East　in　the　midst　of　the　hunting　season；
to　join　a　roundup　in　the　cattle　country　of　western　Dakota；　and　it　was
curious　to　compare　the　totally　different　styles　of　riding　of　the
cowboys　and　the　cross…country　men。　A　stock…saddle　weighs　thirty　or
forty　pounds　instead　of　ten　or　fifteen　and　needs　an　utterly　different
seat　from　that　adopted　in　the　East。　A　cowboy　rides　with　very　long
stirrups；　sitting　forked　well　down　between　his　high　pommel　and　cantle；
and　depends　upon　balance　as　well　as　on　the　grip　of　his　thighs。　In
cutting　out　a　steer　from　a　herd；　in　breaking　a　vicious　wild　horse；　in
sitting　a　bucking　bronco；　in　stopping　a　night　stampede　of　many　hundred
maddened　animals；　or　in　the　performance　of　a　hundred　other　feats　of
reckless　and　daring　horsemanship；　the　cowboy　is　absolutely　unequalled；
and　when　he　has　his　own　horse　gear　he　sits　his　animal　with　the　ease　of
a　centaur。　Yet　he　is　quite　helpless　the　first　time　he　gets　astride　one
of　the　small　eastern　saddles。　One　summer；　while　purchasing　cattle　in
Iowa；　one　of　my　ranch　foremen　had　to　get　on　an　ordinary　saddle　to　ride
out　of　town　and　see　a　bunch　of　steers。　He　is　perhaps　the　best　rider　on
the　ranch；　and　will　without　hesitation　mount　and　master　beasts　that　I
doubt　if　the　boldest　rider　in　one　of　our　eastern　hunts　would　care　to
tackle；　yet　his　uneasiness　on　the　new　saddle　was　fairly　comical。　At
first　he　did　not　dare　to　trot　and　the　least　plunge　of　the　horse　bid
fair　to　unseat　him；　nor　did　he　begin　to　get　accustomed　to　the
situation　until　the　very　end　of　the　journey。　In　fact；　the　two　kinds　of
riding　are　so　very　different　that　a　man　only　accustomed　to　one；　feels
almost　as　ill　at　ease　when　he　first　tries　the　other　as　if　he　had　never
sat　on　a　horse's　back　before。　It　is　rather　funny　to　see　a　man　who　only
knows　one　kind；　and　is　conceited　enough　to　think　that　that　is　really
the　only　kind　worth　knowing；　when　first　he　is　brought　into　contact
with　the　other。　Two　or　three　times　I　have　known　men　try　to　follow
hounds　on　stock…saddles；　which　are　about　as　ill…suited　for　the　purpose
as　they　well　can　be；　while　it　is　even　more　laughable　to　see　some　young
fellow　from　the　East　or　from　England　who　thinks　he　knows　entirely　too
much　about　horses　to　be　taught　by　barbarians；　attempt　in　his　turn　to
do　cow…work　with　his　ordinary　riding　or　hunting　rig。　It　must　be　said；
however；　that　in　all　probability　cowboys　would　learn　to　ride　well
across　country　much　sooner　than　the　average　cross…country　rider　would
master　the　dashing　and　peculiar　style　of　horsemanship　shown　by　those
whose　life　business　is　to　guard　the　wandering　herds　of　the　great
western　plains。

Of　course；　riding　to　hounds；　like　all　sports　in　long　settled；　thickly
peopled　countries；　fails　to　develop　in　its　followers　some　of　the　hardy
qualities　necessarily　incident　to　the　wilder　pursuits　of　the　mountain
and　the　forest。　While　I　was　on　the　frontier　I　was　struck　by　the　fact
that　of　the　men　from　the　eastern　States　or　from　England　who　had　shown
themselves　at　home　to　be　good　riders　to　hounds　or　had　made　their
records　as　college　athletes；　a　larger　proportion　failed　in　the　life　of
the　wilderness　than　was　the　case　among　those　who　had　gained　their
experience　in　such　rough　pastimes　as　mountaineering　in　the　high　Alps；
winter　caribou…hunting　in　Canada；　or　deer…stalkingnot　deer…driving
in　Scotland。

Nevertheless；　of　all　sports　possible　in　civilized　countries；　riding　to
hounds　is　perhaps　the　best　if　followed　as　it　should　be；　for　the　sake
of　the　strong　excitement；　with　as　much　simplicity　as　possible；　and　not
merely　as　a　fashionable　amusement。　It　tends　to　develop　moral　no　less
than　physical　qualities；　the　rider　needs　nerve　and　head；　he　must
possess　daring　and　resolution；　as　well　as　a　good　deal　of　bodily　skill
and　a　certain　amount　of　wiry　toughness　and　endurance。



　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　CHAPTER　VIII。

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　WOLVES　AND　WOLF…HOUNDS。

The　wolf　is　the　arch　type　of　ravin；　the　beast　of　waste　and　desolation。
It　is　still　found　scattered　thinly　throughout　all　the　wilder　portions
of　the　United　States；　but　has　everywhere　retreated　from　the　advance　of
civilization。

Wolves　show　an　infinite　variety　in　color；　size；　physical　formation；
and　temper。　Almost　all　the　varieties　intergrade　with　one　another；
however；　so　that　it　is　very　difficult　to　draw　a　hard　and　fast　line
between　any　two　of　them。　Nevertheless；　west　of　the　Mississippi　there
are　found　two　distinct　types。　One　is　the　wolf　proper；　or　big　wolf；
specifically　akin　to　the　wolves　of　the　eastern　States。　The　other　is
the　little　coyote；　or　prairie　wolf。　The　coyote　and　the　big　wolf　are
found　together　in　almost　all　the　wilder　districts　from　the　Rio　Grande
to　the　valleys　of　the　upper　Missouri　and　the　upper　Columbia。
Throughout　this　region　there　is　always　a　sharp　line　of　demarkation；
especially　in　size；　between　the　coyotes　and　the　big　wolves　of　any
given　district；　but　in　certain　districts　the　big　wolves　are　very　much
larger　than　their　brethren　in　other　districts。　In　the　upper　Columbia
country；　for　instance；　they　are　very　large；　along　the　Rio　Grande　they
are　small。　Dr。　Hart　Merriam　informs　me　that；　according　to　his
experience；　the　coyote　is　largest　in　southern　California。　In　many
respects　the　coyote　differs　altogether　in　habits　from　its　big
relative