the passing of the frontier-第4部分

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tself　with　which　we　are　concerned。　Where　does　the　road　begin？　Why　comes　it　hither？　Whither　does　it　lead？　These　are　the　real　questions。

Under　all　the　exuberance　of　the　life　of　the　range　there　lay　a　steady　business　of　tremendous　size　and　enormous　values。　The　〃uproarious　iniquity〃　of　the　West；　its　picturesqueness；　its　vividnessthese　were　but　froth　on　the　stream。　The　stream　itself　was　a　steady　and　somber　flood。　Beyond　this　picturesqueness　of　environment　very　few　have　cared　to　go；　and　therefore　sometimes　have　had　little　realization　of　the　vastness　of　the　cowboy's　kingdom；　the　〃magnitude　of　the　interests　in　his　care；　or　the　fortitude；　resolution；　and　instant　readiness　essential　to　his　daily　life。〃　The　American　cowboy　is　the　most　modern　representative　of　a　human　industry　that　is　second　to　very　few　in　antiquity。

Julius　Caesar　struck　the　note　of　real　history：　Quorum　pars　magna　fui〃Of　which　I　was　a　great　part。〃　If　we　are　to　seek　the　actual　truth；　we　ought　most　to　value　contemporary　records；　representations　made　by　men　who　were　themselves　a　part　of　the　scenes　which　they　describe。　In　that　way　we　shall　arrive　not　merely　upon　lurid　events；　not　alone　upon　the　stereotyped　characters　of　the　〃Wild　West；〃　but　upon　causes　which　are　much　more　interesting　and　immensely　more　valuable　than　any　merely　titillating　stories　from　the　weirdly　illustrated　Apocrypha　of　the　West。　We　must　go　below　such　things　if　we　would　gain　a　just　and　lasting　estimate　of　the　times。　We　ought　to　look　on　the　old　range　neither　as　a　playground　of　idle　men　nor　as　a　scene　of　hysterical　and　contorted　human　activities。　We　ought　to　look　upon　it　from　the　point　of　view　of　its　uses　to　mankind。　The　explorers　found　it　a　wilderness；　the　home　of　the　red　man　and　the　buffalo。　What　were　the　underlying　causes　of　its　settlement　and　development？

There　is　in　history　no　agency　so　wondrous　in　events；　no　working　instrumentality　so　great　as　transportation。　The　great　seeking　of　all　human　life　is　to　find　its　level。　Perhaps　the　first　men　traveled　by　hollowed　logs　down　stream。　Then　possibly　the　idea　of　a　sail　was　conceived。　Early　in　the　story　of　the　United　States　men　made　commercial　journeys　from　the　head　of　the　Ohio　to　the　mouth　of　the　Mississippi　by　flatboats；　and　came　back　by　keelboats。　The　pole；　the　cordelle；　the　paddle；　and　the　sail；　in　turn　helped　them　to　navigate　the　great　streams　which　led　out　into　the　West。　And　presently　there　was　to　come　that　tremendous　upheaval　wrought　by　the　advent　of　the　iron　trails　which；　scorning　alike　waterways　and　mountain　ranges；　flung　themselves　almost　directly　westward　across　the　continent。

The　iron　trails；　crossing　the　northern　range　soon　after　the　Civil　War；　brought　a　market　to　the　cattle　country。　Inevitably　the　men　of　the　lower　range　would　seek　to　reach　the　railroads　with　what　they　had　to　selltheir　greatest　natural　product；　cattle　on　the　hoof。　This　was　the　primary　cause　of　the　great　northbound　drives　already　mentioned；　the　greatest　pastoral　phenomena　in　the　story　of　the　world。

The　southern　herds　at　that　time　had　no　market　at　their　doors。　They　had　to　go　to　the　market；　and　they　had　to　go　on　foot。　That　meant　that　they　must　be　driven　northward　by　cattle　handlers　who　had　passed　their　days　in　the　wild　life　of　the　lower　range。　These　cowmen　of　course　took　their　character　and　their　customs　northward　with　them；　and　so　they　were　discovered　by　those　enthusiastic　observers；　newly　arrived　by　rail；　whom　the　cowmen　were　wont　to　call　〃pilgrims。〃

Now　the　trail　of　the　great　cattle　drivesthe　Long　Trail…was　a　thing　of　tremendous　importance　of　itself　and　it　is　still　full　of　interest。　As　it　may　not　easily　be　possible　for　the　author　to　better　a　description　of　it　that　was　written　some　twenty　years　ago；　that　description　is　here　again　set　down。*

*　〃The　Story　of　the　Cowboy；〃　by　E。　Hough。　Appleton。　1897。　Reprinted　by　permission。


The　braiding　of　a　hundred　minor　pathways；　the　Long　Trail　lay　like　a　vast　rope　connecting　the　cattle　country　of　the　South　with　that　of　the　North。　Lying　loose　or　coiling；　it　ran　for　more　than　two　thousand　miles　along　the　eastern　edge　of　the　Rocky　Mountains；　sometimes　close　in　at　their　feet；　again　hundreds　of　miles　away　across　the　hard　tablelands　or　the　well…flowered　prairies。　It　traversed　in　a　fair　line　the　vast　land　of　Texas；　curled　over　the　Indian　Nations；　over　Kansas；　Colorado；　Nebraska；　Wyoming；　and　Montana；　and　bent　in　wide　overlapping　circles　as　far　west　as　Utah　and　Nevada；　as　far　east　as　Missouri；　Iowa；　even　Illinois；　and　as　far　north　as　the　British　possessions。　Even　today　you　may　trace　plainly　its　former　course；　from　its　faint　beginnings　in　the　lazy　land　of　Mexico；　the　Ararat　of　the　cattle…range。　It　is　distinct　across　Texas；　and　multifold　still　in　the　Indian　lands。　Its　many　intermingling　paths　still　scar　the　iron　surface　of　the　Neutral　Strip；　and　the　plows　have　not　buried　all　the　old　furrows　in　the　plains　of　Kansas。　Parts　of　the　path　still　remain　visible　in　the　mountain　lands　of　the　far　North。　You　may　see　the　ribbons　banding　the　hillsides　today　along　the　valley　of　the　Stillwater；　and　along　the　Yellowstone　and　toward　the　source　of　the　Missouri。　The　hoof　marks　are　beyond　the　Musselshell；　over　the　Bad　Lands　and　the　coulees　and　the　flat　prairies；　and　far　up　into　the　land　of　the　long　cold　you　may　see；　even　today　if　you　like；　the　shadow　of　that　unparalleled　pathway；　the　Long　Trail　of　the　cattle…range。　History　has　no　other　like　it。

The　Long　Trail　was　surveyed　and　constructed　in　a　century　and　a　day。　Over　the　Red　River　of　the　South；　a　stream　even　today　perhaps　known　but　vaguely　in　the　minds　of　many　inhabitants　of　the　country；　there　appeared；　almost　without　warning；　vast　processions　of　strange　horned　kineprocessions　of　enormous　wealth；　owned　by　kings　who　paid　no　tribute；　and　guarded　by　men　who　never　knew　a　master。　Whither　these　were　bound；　what　had　conjured　them　forth；　whence　they　came；　were　questions　in　the　minds　of　the　majority　of　the　population　of　the　North　and　East　to　whom　the　phenomenon　appeared　as　the　product　of　a　day。　The　answer　to　these　questions　lay　deep　in　the　laws　of　civilization；　and　extended　far　back　into　that　civilization's　history。　The　Long　Trail　was　finished　in　a　day。　It　was　begun　more　than　a　century　before　that　day；　and　came　forward　along　the　very　appointed　ways　of　time。。。。　Thus；　far　down　in　the　vague　Southwest；　at　some　distant　time；　in　some　distant　portion　of　old；　mysterious　Mexico；　there　fell　into　line　the　hoof　prints　which　made　the　first　faint　beginnings　of　the　Long　Trail；　merely　the　path　of　a　half　nomadic　movement　along　the　line　of　the　least　resistance。

The　Long　Trail　began　to　deepen　and　extend。　It　received　then；　as　it　did　later；　a　baptism　of　human　blood　such　as　no　other　pathway　of　the　continent　has　known。　The　nomadic　and　the　warlike　days　passed；　and　there　ensued　a　more　quiet　and　pastoral　time。　It　was　the　beginning　of　a　feudalism　of　the　range；　a　barony　rude　enough；　but　a　glorious　one；　albeit　it　began；　like　all　feudalism；　in　large…handed　theft　and　generous　murdering。　The　flocks　of　these　strong　men；　carelessly　interlapping；　increased　and　multiplied　amazingly。　They　were　hardly　looked　upon　as　wealth。　The　people　could　not　eat　a　tithe　of　the　beef；　they　could　not　use　a　hundredth　of　the　leather。　Over　hundreds　and　hundreds　of　miles　of　ownerless　grass　lands；　by　the　rapid　waters　of　the　mountains；　by　the　slow　streams　of　the　plains　or　the　long　and　dark　lagoons　of　the　low　coast　country　the　herds　of　tens　grew　into　droves　of　hundreds　and　thousands　and　hundreds　of　thousands。　This　was　really　the　dawning　of　the　American　cattle　industry。

Chips　and　flakes　of　the　great　Southwestern　herd　began　to　be　seen　in　the　Northern　States。　As　early　as　1857　Texas　cattle　were　driven　to　Illinois。　In　1861　Louisiana　was；　without　success；　tried　as　an　outlet。　In　1867　a　venturous　drover　took　a　herd　across　the　Indian　Nations；　bound　for　California；　and　only　abandoned　the　project　because　the　Plains　Indians　were　then　very　bad　in　the　country　to　the　north。　In　1869　several　herds　were　driven　from　Texas　to　Nevada。　These　were　side　trails　of　the　main　cattle　road。　It　seemed　clear　that　a　great　population　in　the　North　needed　the　cheap　beef　of　Texas；　and　the　main　question　appeared　to　be　one　of　transportation。　No　proper　means　for　this　offered。　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　covered　fairly　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　cry　for　a　market　became　imperative。

Meantime　the　Anglo…Saxon　civilization　was　rolling　swiftly　toward　the　upper　West。　The　Indians　were　being　driven　from　the　Plains。　A　solid　army　was　pressing　behind　the　vanguard　of　soldier；　scout；　and　plainsman。　The　railroads　were　pushing　out　into　a　new　and　untracked　empire。　They　carried　the　market　with　them。　The　market　halted；　much　nearer；　though　still　some　hundred　of　miles　to　the　north　of　the　great　herd。　The　Long　Trail　tapped　no　more　at　the　door　of　Illinois；　Missouri；　Arkansas；　but　leaped　north　again　definitely；　this　time　springing　across　the　Red　River　and　up　to　the　railroads；　along　sharp　and　well…defined　channels　deepened　in　the　year　of　1866　alone　by　the　hoofs　of　more　than　a　quarter　of　a　million　cattle。

In　1871；　only　five　years　later；　over　six　hundred　thousand　cattle　crossed　the　Red　River　for　the　Northern　markets。　Abilene；　Newton；　Wichita；　Ellsworth；　Great　Bend；　Dodge；　flared　out　into　a　swift　and　sometime　evil　blossoming。　Thus　the　men　of　the　North　first　came　to　hear　of　the　Long　Trail　and　the　men　who　made　it；　although　really　it　had　begun　long　ago　and　had　been　foreordained　to　grow。

By　this　time；　1867　and　1868；　the　northern　portions　of　the　region　immediately　to　the　east　of　the　Rocky　Mountains　had　been　sufficiently　cleared　of　their　wild　inhabitants　to　admit　a　gradual　though　precarious　settlement。　It　had　been　learned　yet　again　that　the　buffalo　grass　and　the　sweet　waters　of　the　far　North　would　fatten　a　range　broadhorn　to　a　stature　far　beyond　any　it　could　attain　on　the　southern　range。　The　Long　Trail　pushed　rapidly　even　farther　to　the　north　where　there　still　remained　〃free　grass〃　and　a　new　market。　The　territorial　ranges　needed　many　thousands　of　cattle　for　their　stock