| Show Cowboys of the Swamplands Ride Range In Slim Tricky Sharp nosed Pirogues I The cowhands down here in the swamplands ride the range range but but they do it in pi pirogues rogues writes a Lockport Lock Lock- port La United Press correspondent correspond correspond- ent in the Chicago Dally Daily News A pony in the deep muck and stagnant water under the cypress trees and willows would be about as useless as a canoe in the desert But Dut a tough long-legged long strain of native cattle wades around after efter the lush undergrowth and thrives On the lower stretches of Bayou Lafourche extending back a mile on either side is 11 a strip of higher land suitable for farming Back of that Is la a limitless waste fit only for muskrats alligators and swampland ranching Sometimes heavy rains in this semitropical area transform the swamp into a vast lake with higher spots on which cattle sometimes stand for weeks Then the cowpunchers who may maybe maybe maybe be moss gatherers or trappers the rest resl of the time lime break out their hip boots push the pirogues Into the water and call their dogs for a roundup Pirogues les are slim sUm tricky craft that slide over an Inch of mud as 81 aswell aswell well as 81 the they float In 10 feet of water Their sharp prows nose between cy ey press trees or through long lanes Inthe Inthe in inthe the brush without tipping The dogs of the swamps are a peculiar breed too They can trail cattle through miles of undergrowth and If 11 an animal Is alive find it Sometimes Octave LeBlanc one of the biggest ranchers in these parts said we dont don't need the dogs The vultures lead us to the dead ones But Dut the cowboys locate cattle with the aid of vultures surprisingly few times except in the hardest winter months |
