Sunset Ranch: A Story of a Boy's Adventures in the West — page 106: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

98 - The Grand Round-Up. picnic occasion, when the results of the season might ° become facts to be set down in cold black and white —it was certainly a picture to forever haunt a mind delighting 1n scenes of excitement. The green, flower-studded prairie and the blue heavens overhead, where buzzards floated and vul- tures soared, made a noble setting for the scene, and Cuthbert was so captivated that he heaved a tre- mendous sigh of regret when compelled to desert his perch, the voice of Karl calling his name, indicat- ing that his services were in demand below. When the great herds had been gathered into temporary corrals, or stockades, some made of tim- ber, but the majority of rope, the main business of the day began. This was in cutting out all unbranded youngsters and what few older animals had escaped the iron on the previous tally. - Jt was lively work. In turn each cowboy selected his quarry, man- ceuvred to separate it from the balance of the bunch, and when finally his object in this particular had been accomplished the rope was thrown, generally with unerring hand, drawn taut by a skillful move on the part of the trained broncho, and the lassoed . beast thrown to the ground. Then came the others to examine, perchance to admire, but always to press the hot iron against hair and hide—there was a slight sizzling sound, a smell of scorched hair, a few spasmodic kicks from the helpless victim—then the rope came away, and the brand of X bar X, or perhaps a Lone Star, would be there for life. There was hard work in this, hour after hour, but cowboys are a truly rollicking set and produce fun out of business. | Some comical scenes occurred, that is, they ap- peared such to those who looked on, but might have COnnicloooks CO