Indians, finds plenty
of novelty and excitement to break any fancied monotony which might be
considered as belonging to ranch life. In a number of visits to the
range country during the past twenty years, the writer has had an
opportunity to observe life on a ranch, and experience some of its
exciting adventures.

One day in the summer of 1891, Dave Drew, our foreman, Tedrow, one of
the cowboys, and myself, made a trip into East Canon in the Dos Cabezas
mountains, in search of some large unbranded calves which had been seen
running there. We rode leisurely along for some time and passed
several small bunches of cattle without finding what we were looking
for. As we neared a bend in the canon, Dave, who rode in advance, saw
some cattle lying in the shade of a grove of live oak trees. Instantly
he spurred his horse into a run and chased after the cattle at full
speed, at the same time looking back and shouting that he saw two
mavericks and for us to hurry up and help catch them. It was a bad
piece of ground to cover and we found it difficult to make progress or
to even keep each other in sight. Tedrow hurried up as fast as he
could while I brought up the rear.

In trying to get through in the direction that Dave had gone, we tried
to make a short cut in order to gain time, but soon found our way
completely blocked by immense boulders and dense thickets of cat-claw
bushes, which is a variety of mesquite covered with strong, sharp,
curved thorns. We turned back to find a better road and after some
time spent in hunting an opening we discovered a dim trail which soon
led us into a natural park of level ground hidden among the foothills.
Here we found Dave who alone had caught and tied down both the calves
and was preparing to start a fire to heat the branding irons. What he
had done seemed like magic and was entirely incomprehensible to an
inexperienced tenderfoot.

Dave explained afterwards that to be successful in such a race much
depended on taking the cattle by surprise, and then by a quick, bold
dash start them running up the mountain, when it was possible to
overtake and rope them; but if once started to running down hill it was
not only unsafe to follow on horseback but in any event the cattle were
certain to escape. Taking them by surprise seemed to bewilder them and
before they could collect their scattered senses, so to speak, and
scamper off, the work of capture was done.

Another adventure, which di