The Log of a Cowboy: A Narrative of the Old Trail Days
The most authentic account of cowboy life ever written, by a man who actually lived it. Andy Adams left his San Antonio Valley home at sixteen and never forgot a single detail. The Log of a Cowboy follows a cattle drive from south Texas to Montana in the years after the Civil War, rendered with a plainspoken precision that exposes the myth of the Old West even as it celebrates the reality. This is not a romance. It is dust in your throat and ice in your boots and the bone-deep exhaustion of eighteen-hour days in the saddle. Adams records river crossings that nearly kill men and cattle, buffalo stampedes that thunder across the prairie like the end of the world, gunfights settled by a code older than law. But he also captures what Hollywood never could: the particular silence of the open range, the dark humor of men who know they are witnessing the last years of an American way of life, the ritual of campfire stories where Bull Durham and Bill Blades become legends in their own time. Thomas McGuane writes in his introduction that this book is 'as close as we will ever get to the real thing.' He is not exaggerating.
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“Now a little boy or girl, and many an older person, thinks that a spotted horse is the real thing, but practical cattle men know that this freak of color in range-bred horses is the result of in-and-in breeding, with consequent physical and mental deterioration.””
— Andy Adams
“On the trail all horses are free at night, except the regular night ones, which are used constantly during the entire trip, and under ordinary conditions keep strong and improve in flesh.””
— Andy Adams
“Old Western Trail.””
— Andy Adams
“The guards usually sing or whistle continuously, so that the sleeping herd may know that a friend and not an enemy is keeping vigil over their dreams. A sleeping herd of cattle make a pretty picture on a clear moonlight night, chewing their cuds and grunting and blowing over contented stomachs. The night horses soon learn their duty, and a rider may fall asleep or doze along in the saddle, but the horses will maintain their distance in their leisurely, sentinel rounds.””
— Andy Adams
“Flood tells me to-day that you're a brother of Bob Quirk. Bob is to be foreman of my herd that I'm putting up in Nueces County. I'm glad you're here with Jim, though, for it's a longer trip. Yes, you'll get all the circus there is, and stay for the concert besides. They say God is good to the poor and the Irish; and if that's so, you'll pull through all right. Good-by, son." And as he gave me a hearty, ringing grip of the hand, I couldn't help feeling friendly toward him, Yankee that he was.””
— Andy Adams
“Now, Jim, I can't give you any pointers on handling a herd, but you have until the 10th day of September to reach the Blackfoot Agency. An average of fifteen miles a day will put you there on time, so don't hurry. I'll try and see you at Dodge and Ogalalla on the way. Now, live well, for I like your outfit of men. Your credit letter is good anywhere you need supplies, and if you want more horses on the trail, buy them and draft on me through your letter of credit. If any of your men meet with accident or get sick, look out for them the same as you would for yourself, and I'll honor all bills. And don't be stingy over your expense account, for if that herd don't make money, you and I had better quit cows.””
— Andy Adams
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Adams, Andy. The Log of a Cowboy: A Narrative of the Old Trail Days. Lex, lex-books.com/book/the-log-of-a-cowboy-a-narrative-of-the-old-trail-days-a0dbfaeb-cefe-4004-a80c-4bada181b285.Adams, A. (n.d.). The Log of a Cowboy: A Narrative of the Old Trail Days. Lex. https://lex-books.com/book/the-log-of-a-cowboy-a-narrative-of-the-old-trail-days-a0dbfaeb-cefe-4004-a80c-4bada181b285Adams, Andy. The Log of a Cowboy: A Narrative of the Old Trail Days. Lex. https://lex-books.com/book/the-log-of-a-cowboy-a-narrative-of-the-old-trail-days-a0dbfaeb-cefe-4004-a80c-4bada181b285.
