d head them off. The great excitement
is when one breaks away from the herd and gallops madly up and
down-hill, and you gallop after him anywhere, over and among rocks and
trees, doubling when he doubles, and heading him till you get him back
again. The bulls were quite easily managed, but the cows with calves,
old or young, were most troublesome. By accident I rode between one
cow and her calf in a narrow place, and the cow rushed at me and was
just getting her big horns under the horse, when he reared, and spun
dexterously aside. This kind of thing happened continually. There was
one very handsome red cow which became quite mad. She had a calf with
her nearly her own size, and thought every one its enemy, and though
its horns were well developed, and it was quite able to take care of
itself, she insisted on protecting it from all fancied dangers. One of
the dogs, a young, foolish thing, seeing that the cow was excited, took
a foolish pleasure in barking at her, and she was eventually quite
infuriated. She turned to bay forty times at least; tore up the ground
with her horns, tossed and killed the calves of two other cows, and
finally became so dangerous to the rest of the herd that, just as the
drive was ending, Evans drew his revolver and shot her, and the calf
for which she had fought so blindly lamented her piteously. She rushed
at me several times mad with rage, but these trained cattle horses keep
perfectly cool, and, nearly without will on my part, mine jumped aside
at the right moment, and foiled the assailant. Just at dusk we reached
the corral--an acre of grass enclosed by stout post-and-rail fences
seven feet high--and by much patience and some subtlety lodged the
whole herd within its shelter, without a blow, a shout, or even a crack
of a whip, wild as the cattle were. It was fearfully cold. We
galloped the last mile and a half in four and a half minutes, reached
the cabin just as the snow began to fall, and found strong, hot tea
ready.

[18] In several visits to America I have observed that the Americans
are far in advance of us and our colonial kinsmen in their treatment of
horses and other animals. This was very apparent with regard to this
Texan herd. There were no stock whips, no needless worrying of the
animals in the excitement of sport. Any dog seizing a bullock by his
tail or heels would have been called off and punished, and quietness
and gentleness were the rule. The horses were r