Even Kyd, Lafitte, Morgan, and other pirate captains became heroes in the minds of the average boy, who longed to run away to sea and make his name known in the world.
But steam dispelled these ambitions, and the American boy was forced to turn his hopes upon the land of the setting sun.
Daniel Boone was a hero to admire; David Crockett, Kit Carson, and others became the beau ideal of border heroes, and the heart of the youth thrilled in reading of these men in buckskin.
And these men of the wild West, of whom Buffalo Bill is the most conspicuous figure, made it possible for other border heroes to appear.
They sprung from the ranks of the army, from the emigrant’s cabin, and from among those rangers of the plains, the cowboys.
These brave fellows have produced many a hero in their ranks, and they have been ever ready to battle for the weak against the strong.
The ranch and the cattle interests are being encroached upon by the advance of civilization, the mask of mystery is being torn from the wild borderland by the westward march of the iron horse, and in a few more years, like the scout, the guide, the trapper, and the hunter, the cowboy will be a thing of the past.
A BUCKING BRONCO.
To be acknowledged as a true cowboy, and to the prairie born, one must possess accomplishments for the perilous and arduous work they have to undergo.