the outlet-第1节

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　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　The　Outlet

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　by　Andy　Adams





PREFACE

At　the　close　of　the　civil　war　the　need　for　a　market　for　the　surplus　cattle　of　Texas　was　as　urgent　as　it　was　general。　There　had　been　numerous　experiments　in　seeking　an　outlet；　and　there　is　authority　for　the　statement　that　in　1857　Texas　cattle　were　driven　to　Illinois。　Eleven　years　later　forty　thousand　head　were　sent　to　the　mouth　of　Red　River　in　Louisiana；　shipped　by　boat　to　Cairo；　Illinois；　and　thence　inland　by　rail。　Fever　resulted；　and　the　experiment　was　never　repeated。　To　the　west　of　Texas　stretched　a　forbidding　desert；　while　on　the　other　hand；　nearly　every　drive　to　Louisiana　resulted　in　financial　disaster　to　the　drover。　The　republic　of　Mexico；　on　the　south；　afforded　no　relief；　as　it　was　likewise　overrun　with　a　surplus　of　its　own　breeding。　Immediately　before　and　just　after　the　war；　a　slight　trade　had　sprung　up　in　cattle　between　eastern　points　on　Red　River　and　Baxter　Springs；　in　the　southeast　corner　of　Kansas。　The　route　was　perfectly　feasible；　being　short　and　entirely　within　the　reservations　of　the　Choctaws　and　Cherokees；　civilized　Indians。　This　was　the　only　route　to　the　north；　for　farther　to　the　westward　was　the　home　of　the　buffalo　and　the　unconquered；　nomadic　tribes。　A　writer　on　that　day；　Mr。　Emerson　Hough；　an　acceptable　authority；　says：　〃The　civil　war　stopped　almost　all　plans　to　market　the　range　cattle；　and　the　close　of　that　war　found　the　vast　grazing　lands　of　Texas　fairly　covered　with　millions　of　cattle　which　had　no　actual　or　determinate　value。　They　were　sorted　and　branded　and　herded　after　a　fashion；　but　neither　they　nor　their　increase　could　be　converted　into　anything　but　more　cattle。　The　demand　for　a　market　became　imperative。〃

This　was　the　situation　at　the　close　of　the　'50's　and　meanwhile　there　had　been　no　cessation　in　trying　to　find　an　outlet　for　the　constantly　increasing　herds。　Civilization　was　sweeping　westward　by　leaps　and　bounds；　and　during　the　latter　part　of　the　'60's　and　early　'70's；　a　market　for　a　very　small　percentage　of　the　surplus　was　established　at　Abilene；　Ellsworth；　and　Wichita；　being　confined　almost　exclusively　to　the　state　of　Kansas。　But　this　outlet；　slight　as　it　was；　developed　the　fact　that　the　transplanted　Texas　steer；　after　a　winter　in　the　north；　took　on　flesh　like　a　native；　and　by　being　double…wintered　became　a　marketable　beef。　It　should　be　understood　in　this　connection　that　Texas；　owing　to　climatic　conditions；　did　not　mature　an　animal　into　marketable　form；　ready　for　the　butcher's　block。　Yet　it　was　an　exceptional　country　for　breeding；　the　percentage　of　increase　in　good　years　reaching　the　phenomenal　figures　of　ninety…five　calves　to　the　hundred　cows。　At　this　time　all　eyes　were　turned　to　the　new　Northwest；　which　was　then　looked　upon　as　the　country　that　would　at　last　afford　the　proper　market。　Railroads　were　pushing　into　the　domain　of　the　buffalo　and　Indian；　the　rush　of　emigration　was　westward；　and　the　Texan　was　clamoring　for　an　outlet　for　his　cattle。　It　was　written　in　the　stars　that　the　Indian　and　buffalo　would　have　to　stand　aside。

Philanthropists　may　deplore　the　destruction　of　the　American　bison；　yet　it　was　inevitable。　Possibly　it　is　not　commonly　known　that　the　general　government　had　under　consideration　the　sending　of　its　own　troops　to　destroy　the　buffalo。　Yet　it　is　a　fact；　for　the　army　in　the　West　fully　realized　the　futility　of　subjugating　the　Indians　while　they　could　draw　subsistence　from　the　bison。　The　well…mounted　aborigines　hung　on　the　flanks　of　the　great　buffalo　herds；　migrating　with　them；　spurning　all　treaty　obligations；　and　when　opportunity　offered　murdering　the　advance　guard　of　civilization　with　the　fiendish　atrocity　of　carnivorous　animals。　But　while　the　government　hesitated；　the　hide…hunters　and　the　railroads　solved　the　problem；　and　the　Indian's　base　of　supplies　was　destroyed。

Then　began　the　great　exodus　of　Texas　cattle。　The　red　men　were　easily　confined　on　reservations；　and　the　vacated　country　in　the　Northwest　became　cattle　ranges。　The　government　was　in　the　market　for　large　quantities　of　beef　with　which　to　feed　its　army　and　Indian　wards。　The　maximum　year's　drive　was　reached　in　1884；　when　nearly　eight　hundred　thousand　cattle；　in　something　over　three　hundred　herds；　bound　for　the　new　Northwest；　crossed　Red　River；　the　northern　boundary　of　Texas。　Some　slight　idea　of　this　exodus　can　be　gained　when　one　considers　that　in　the　above　year　about　four　thousand　men　and　over　thirty　thousand　horses　were　required　on　the　trail；　while　the　value　of　the　drive　ran　into　millions。　The　history　of　the　world　can　show　no　pastoral　movement　in　comparison。　The　Northwest　had　furnished　the　marketthe　outlet　for　Texas。




CONTENTS

I。　OPENING　THE　CAMPAIGN

II。　ORGANIZING　THE　FORCES

III。　RECEIVING　AT　LOS　LOBOS

IV。　MINGLING　WITH　THE　EXODUS

V。　RED　RIVER　STATION

VI。　CAMP　SUPPLY

VII。　WHEN　GREEK　MEETS　GREEK

VIII。　EN　PASSANT

IX。　AT　SHERIFF'S　CREEK

X。　A　FAMILY　REUNION

XI。　ALL　IN　THE　DAY'S　WORK

XII。　MARSHALING　THE　FORCES

XIII。　JUSTICE　IN　THE　SADDLE

XIV。　TURNING　THE　TABLES

XV。　TOLLESTON　BUTTS　IN

XVI。　CROSSING　THE　NIOBRARA

XVII。　WATER…BOUND

XVIII。　THE　LITTLE　MISSOURI

XIX。　IN　QUARANTINE

XX。　ON　THE　JUST　AND　THE　UNJUST

XXI。　FORT　BUFORD

XXII。　A　SOLDIER'S　HONOR

XXIII。　KANGAROOED

XXIV。　THE　WINTER　OF　OUR　DISCONTENT



THE　OUTLET

CHAPTER　I。　OPENING　THE　CAMPAIGN

〃Well；　gentlemen；　if　that　is　the　best　rate　you　can　offer　us；　then　we'll　drive　the　cattle。　My　boys　have　all　been　over　the　trail　before；　and　your　figures　are　no　inducement　to　ship　as　far　as　Red　River。　We　are　fully　aware　of　the　nature　of　the　country；　but　we　can　deliver　the　herds　at　their　destination　for　less　than　you　ask　us　for　shipping　them　one　third　of　the　distance。　No；　we'll　drive　all　the　way。〃

The　speaker　was　Don　Lovell；　a　trail　drover；　and　the　parties　addressed　were　the　general　freight　agents　of　three　railroad　lines　operating　in　Texas。　A　conference　had　been　agreed　upon；　and　we　had　come　in　by　train　from　the　ranch　in　Medina　County　to　attend　the　meeting　in　San　Antonio。　The　railroad　representatives　were　shrewd；　affable　gentlemen；　and　presented　an　array　of　facts　hard　to　overcome。　They　were　well　aware　of　the　obstacles　to　be　encountered　in　the　arid；　western　portion　of　the　state；　and　magnified　every　possibility　into　a　stern　reality。　Unrolling　a　large　state　map　upon　the　table；　around　which　the　principals　were　sitting；　the　agent　of　the　Denver　and　Fort　Worth　traced　the　trail　from　Buffalo　Gap　to　Doan's　Crossing　on　Red　River。　Producing　what　was　declared　to　be　a　report　of　the　immigration　agent　of　his　line；　he　showed　by　statistics　that　whole　counties　through　which　the　old　trail　ran　had　recently　been　settled　up　by　Scandinavian　immigrants。　The　representative　of　the　Missouri；　Kansas；　and　Texas；　when　opportunity　offered；　enumerated　every　disaster　which　had　happened　to　any　herd　to　the　westward　of　his　line　in　the　past　five　years。　The　factor　of　the　International　was　equally　well　posted。

〃Now；　Mr。　Lovell；〃　said　he；　dumping　a　bundle　of　papers　on　the　table；　〃if　you　will　kindly　glance　over　these　documents；　I　think　I　can　convince　you　that　it　is　only　a　question　of　a　few　years　until　all　trail　cattle　will　ship　the　greater　portion　of　the　way。　Here　is　a　tabulated　statement　up　to　and　including　the　year　'83。　From　twenty　counties　tributary　to　our　line　and　south　of　this　city；　you　will　notice　that　in　'80　we　practically　handled　no　cattle　intended　for　the　trail。　Passing　on　to　the　next　season's　drive；　you　see　we　secured　a　little　over　ten　per　cent　of　the　cattle　and　nearly　thirty　per　cent　of　the　horse　stock。　Last　year；　or　for　'83；　drovers　took　advantage　of　our　low　rates　for　Red　River　points；　and　the　percentage　ran　up　to　twenty…four　and　a　fraction；　or　practically　speaking；　one　fourth　of　the　total　drive。　We　are　able　to　offer　the　same　low　rates　this　year；　and　all　arrangements　are　completed　with　our　connecting　lines　to　give　live…stock　trains　carrying　trail　cattle　a　passenger　schedule。　Now；　if　you　care　to　look　over　this　correspondence；　you　will　notice　that　we　have　inquiries　which　will　tax　our　carrying　capacity　to　its　utmost。　The　'Laurel　Leaf'　and　'Running　W'　people　alone　have　asked　for　a　rate　on　thirty　thousand　head。〃

But　the　drover　brushed　the　correspondence　aside；　and　asked　for　the　possible　feed　bills。　A　blanket　rate　had　been　given　on　the　entire　shipment　from　that　city；　or　any　point　south；　to　Wichita　Falls；　with　one　rest　and　feed。　Making　a　memorandum　of　the　items；　Lovell　arose　from　the　table　and　came　over　to　where　Jim　Flood　and　I　were　searching　for　Fort　Buford　on　a　large　wall　map。　We　were　both　laboring　under　the　impression　that　it　was　in　Montana；　but　after　our　employer　pointed　it　out　to　us　at　the　mouth　of　the　Yellowstone　in　Dakota；　all　three　of　us　adjourned　to　an　ante…room。　Flood　was　the　best　posted　trail　foreman　in　Don　Lovell's　employ；　and　taking　seats　at　the　table；　we　soon　reduced　the　proposed　shipping　expense　to　a　pro…rata　sum　per　head。　The　result　was　not　to　be　considered；　and　on　returning　to　the　main　office；　our　employer；　as　already　expressed；　declined　the　proffered　rate。

Then　the　freight　men　doubled　on　him；　asking　if　he　had　taken　into　consideration　a　saving　in　wages。　In　a　two　days'　run　they　would　lay　down　the　cattl