en-cent piece,' throwing their animals from full speed to a stand,
indulging in the cowboys' spectacular 'flash riding' for the sheer joy
of it. The leading cattle, eager with that strange instinct that, even
early in the fall, calls all ruminants from good mountain feed to the
brown lower country, pressed forward, their necks outstretched, their
eyes fixed on some distant vision. Their calls blended into an organ
note. Occasionally they broke into a little trot. At such times the dogs
ran forward, yelping, to turn them back into their appointed way. At an
especially bad break to right or left one or more of the men would dash
to the aid of the dogs, riding with a splendid recklessness through the
timber, over fallen trees, ditches, rocks, boulders and precipitous
hills. The dust rose chokingly. At the rear of the long procession
plodded the old, the infirm, the cripples and the young calves. Three or
four men rode compactly behind this rear guard, urging it to keep up.
Their means of persuasion were varied. Quirts, ropes, rattles made of
tin cans and pebbles, strong language were all used in turn and
simultaneously. Long after the multitude had passed, the vast and
composite voice of it reechoed through the forest; the dust eddied and
swirled among the trees.

The mountain men's cattle, on the other hand, came out sullenly, in
herds of a few hundred head. There was more barking of dogs; more
scurrying to and fro of mounted men, for small bands are more difficult
to drive than large ones. There were no songs, no boisterous high
spirits, no flash riding. In contrast to the plains cowboys, even the
herders' appearance was poor. They wore blue jeans overalls, short jeans
jumpers, hats floppy and all but disintegrated by age and exposure to
the elements. Wright's men, being nothing but cowboys, without other
profession, ties or interests, gave more attention to details of
professional equipment. Their wide hats were straight of brim and
generally encircled by a leather or hair or snakeskin band; their shirts
were loose; they wore handkerchiefs around their necks, and oiled
leather "chaps" on their legs. Their distinguishing and especial mark,
however, was their boots. These were made of soft leather, were
elaborately stitched or embroidered in patterns, possessed exaggeratedly
wide and long straps like a spaniel's ears, and were mounted on thin
soles and very high heels. They were footwear such as no mountain man,
nor indee