the passing of the frontier-第19节

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crossing　and　crisscrossing　the　newly　won　frontier；　scarce　lasted　twenty　years。　Presently　we　began　to　hear　in　the　East　of　the　Chisholm　Trail　and　of　the　Western　Trail　which　lay　beyond　it；　and　of　many　smaller　and　intermingling　branches。　We　heard　of　Ogallalla；　in　Nebraska；　the　〃Gomorrah　of　the　Range；〃　the　first　great　upper　marketplace　for　distribution　of　cattle　to　the　swiftly　forming　northern　ranches。　The　names　of　new　rivers　came　upon　our　maps；　and　beyond　the　first　railroads　we　began　to　hear　of　the　Yellowstone；　the　Powder；　the　Musselshell；　the　Tongue；　the　Big　Horn；　the　Little　Missouri。

The　wild　life；　bold　and　carefree；　coming　up　from　the　South　now　in　a　mighty　surging　wave；　spread　all　over　that　new　West　which　offered　to　the　people　of　older　lands　a　strange　and　fascinating　interest。　Every　one　on　the　range　had　money；　every　one　was　independent。　Once　more　it　seemed　that　man　had　been　able　to　overleap　the　confining　limitations　of　his　life；　and　to　attain　independence；　self…indulgence；　ease　and　liberty。　A　chorus　of　Homeric；　riotous　mirth；　as　of　a　land　in　laughter；　rose　up　all　over　the　great　range。　After　all；　it　seemed　that　we　had　a　new　world　left；　a　land　not　yet　used。　We　still　were　young！　The　cry　arose　that　there　was　land　enough　for　all　out　West。　And　at　first　the　trains　of　white…topped　wagons　rivaled　the　crowded　coaches　westbound　on　the　rails。

In　consequence　there　came　an　entire　readjustment　of　values。　This　country；　but　yesterday　barren　and　worthless；　now　was　covered　with　gold；　deeper　than　the　gold　of　California　or　any　of　the　old　placers。　New　securities　and　new　values　appeared。　Banks　did　not　care　much　for　the　land　as　securityit　was　practically　worthless　without　the　cattlebut　they　would　lend　money　on　cattle　at　rates　which　did　not　then　seem　usurious。　A　new　system　of　finance　came　into　use。　Side　by　side　with　the　expansion　of　credits　went　the　expansion　of　the　cattle　business。　Literally　in　hundreds　of　thousands　the　cows　came　north　from　the　exhaustless　ranges　of　the　lower　country。

It　was　a　wild；　strange　day。　But　withal　it　was　the　kindliest　and　most　generous　time；　alike　the　most　contented　and　the　boldest　time；　in　all　the　history　of　our　frontiers。　There　never　was　a　better　life　than　that　of　the　cowman　who　had　a　good　range　on　the　Plains　and　cattle　enough　to　stock　his　range。　There　never　will　be　found　a　better　man's　country　in　all　the　world　than　that　which　ran　from　the　Missouri　up　to　the　low　foothills　of　the　Rockies。

The　lower　cities　took　their　tribute　of　the　northbound　cattle　for　quite　a　time。　Wichita；　Coffeyville；　and　other　towns　of　lower　Kansas　in　turn　made　bids　for　prominence　as　cattle　marts。　Agents　of　the　Chicago　stockyards　would　come　down　along　the　trails　into　the　Indian　Nations　to　meet　the　northbound　herds　and　to　try　to　divert　them　to　this　or　that　market　as　a　shipping…point。　The　Kiowas　and　Comanches；　not　yet　wholly　confined　to　their　reservations；　sometimes　took　tribute；　whether　in　theft　or　in　open　extortion；　of　the　herds　laboring　upward　through　the　long　slow　season。　Trail…cutters　and　herd…combers；　licensed　or　unlicensed　hangers…on　to　the　northbound　throngs　of　cattle；　appeared　along　the　lower　trailswith　some　reason；　occasionally；　for　in　a　great　northbound　herd　there　might　be　many　cows　included　under　brands　other　than　those　of　the　road　brands　registered　for　the　drovers　of　that　particular　herd。　Cattle　thieving　became　an　industry　of　certain　value；　rivaling　in　some　localities　the　operations　of　the　bandits　of　the　placer　camps。　There　was　great　wealth　suddenly　to　be　seen。　The　weak　and　the　lawless；　as　well　as　the　strong　and　the　unscrupulous；　set　out　to　reap　after　their　own　fashion　where　they　had　not　sown。　If　a　grave　here　or　there　appeared　along　the　trail　or　at　the　edge　of　the　straggling　town；　it　mattered　little。　If　the　gamblers　and　the　desperadoes　of　the　cow　towns　such　as　Newton；　Ellsworth；　Abilene；　Dodge；　furnished　a　man　for　breakfast　day　after　day；　it　mattered　little；　for　plenty　of　men；　remained；　as　good　or　better。　The　life　was　large　and　careless；　and　bloodshed　was　but　an　incident。

During　the　early　and　unregulated　days　of　the　cattle　industry；　the　frontier　insisted　on　its　own　creed；　its　own　standards。　But　all　the　time；　coming　out　from　the　East；　were　scores　and　hundreds　of　men　of　exacter　notions　of　trade　and　business。　The　enormous　waste　of　the　cattle　range　could　not　long　endure。　The　toll　taken　by　the　thievery　of　the　men　who　came　to　be　called　range…rustlers　made　an　element　of　loss　which　could　not　long　be　sustained　by　thinking　men。　As　the　Vigilantes　regulated　things　in　the　mining　camps；　so　now　in　slightly　different　fashion　the　new　property　owners　on　the　upper　range　established　their　own　ideas；　their　own　sense　of　proportion　as　to　law　and　order。　The　cattle　associations；　the　banding　together　of　many　owners　of　vast　herds；　for　mutual　protection　and　mutual　gain　were　a　natural　and　logical　development。　Outside　of　these　there　was　for　a　time　a　highly　efficient　corps　of　cattle…range　Vigilantes；　who　shot　and　hanged　some　scores　of　rustlers。

It　was　a　frenzied　life　while　it　lastedthis　lurid　outburst；　the　last　flare　of　the　frontier。　Such　towns　as　Dodge　and　Ogallalla　offered　extraordinary　phenomena　of　unrestraint。　But　fortunately　into　the　worst　of　these　capitals　of　license　came　the　best　men　of　the　new　regime；　and　the　new　officers　of　the　law；　the　agents　of　the　Vigilantes；　the　advance…guard　of　civilization　now　crowding　on　the　heels　of　the　wild　men　of　the　West。　In　time　the　lights　of　the　dance…halls　and　the　saloons　and　the　gambling　parlors　went　out　one　by　one　all　along　the　frontier。　By　1885　Dodge　City；　a　famed　capital　of　the　cow　trade；　which　will　live　as　long　as　the　history　of　that　industry　is　known；　resigned　its　eminence　and　declared　that　from　where　the　sun　then　stood　it　would　be　a　cow　camp　no　more！　The　men　of　Dodge　knew　that　another　day　had　dawned。　But　this　was　after　the　homesteaders　had　arrived　and　put　up　their　wire　fences；　cutting　off　from　the　town　the　holding　grounds　of　the　northbound　herds。

This　innovation　of　barb…wire　fences　in　the　seventies　had　caused　a　tremendous　alteration　of　conditions　over　all　the　country。　It　had　enabled　men　to　fence　in　their　own　water…fronts；　their　own　homesteads。　Casually；　and　at　first　without　any　objection　filed　by　any　one；　they　had　included　in　their　fences　many　hundreds　of　thousands　of　acres　of　range　land　to　which　they　had　no　title　whatever。　These　menlike　the　large…handed　cow　barons　of　the　Indian　Nations；　who　had　things　much　as　they　willed　in　a　little　unnoted　realm　all　their　ownhad　money　and　political　influence。　And　there　seemed　still　range　enough　for　all。　If　a　man　wished　to　throw　a　drift　fence　here　or　there；　what　mattered　it？

Up　to　this　time　not　much　attention　had　been　paid　to　the　Little　Fellow；　the　man　of　small　capital　who　registered　a　brand　of　his　own；　and　who　with　a　Maverick*　here　and　there　and　the　natural　increase；　and　perhaps　a　trifle　of　unnatural　increase　here　and　therehad　proved　able　to　accumulate　with　more　or　less　rapidity　a　herd　of　his　own。　Now　the　cattle　associations　passed　rules　that　no　foreman　should　be　allowed　to　have　or　register　a　brand　of　his　own。　Not　that　any　foreman　could　be　suspectednot　at　all！but　the　foreman　who　insisted　on　his　old　right　to　own　a　running　iron　and　a　registered　brand　was　politely　asked　to　find　his　employment　somewhere　else。

　*　In　the　early　days　a　rancher　by　the　name　of　Maverick；　a　Texas　man；　had　made　himself　rich　simply　by　riding　out　on　the　open　range　and　branding　loose　and　unmarked　occupants　of　the　free　lands。　Hence　the　term　〃Maverick〃　was　applied　to　any　unbranded　animal　running　loose　on　the　range。　No　one　cared　to　interfere　with　these　early　activities　in　collecting　unclaimed　cattle。　Many　a　foundation　for　a　great　fortune　was　laid　in　precisely　that　way。　It　was　not　until　the　more　canny　days　in　the　North　that　Mavericks　were　regarded　with　jealous　eyes。


The　large…handed　and　once　generous　methods　of　the　old　range　now　began　to　narrow　themselves。　Even　if　the　Little　Fellow　were　able　to　throw　a　fence　around　his　own　land；　very　often　he　did　not　have　land　enough　to　support　his　herd　with　profit。　A　certain　antipathy　now　began　to　arise　between　the　great　cattle　owners　and　the　small　ones；　especially　on　the　upper　range；　where　some　rather　bitter　wars　were　foughtthe　cow　kings　accusing　their　smaller　rivals　of　rustling　cows；　the　small　man　accusing　the　larger　operators　of　having　for　years　done　the　same　thing；　and　of　having　grown　rich　at　it。

The　cattle　associations；　thrifty　and　shifty；　sending　their　brand　inspectors　as　far　east　as　the　stockyards　of　Kansas　City　and　Chicago；　naturally　had　the　whip　hand　of　the　smaller　men。　They　employed　detectives　who　regularly　combed　out　the　country　in　search　of　men　who　had　loose　ideas　of　mine　and　thine。　All　the　time　the　cow　game　was　becoming　stricter　and　harder。　Easterners　brought　on　the　East's　idea　of　property；　of　low　interest；　sure　returns；　and　good　security。　In　short；　there　was　set　on　once　moreas　there　had　been　in　every　great　movement　across　the　entire　West　the　old　contest　between　property　rights　and　human　independence　in　action。　It　was　now　once　more　the　Frontier　against　the　States；　and　the　States　were　foredoomed　to　win。

The　barb…wire　fence；　which　was　at　first　used　extensively　by　the　great　operators；　came　at　last　to　be　the　greatest　friend　of　the　Little　Fellow　on　the　range。　T