The Sea of Grass Page #2

I'VE HEARD IT RUNS

INTO A MILLION OR MORE ACRES.

I'VE NEVER COUNTED THEM.

THEN AGAIN, I'VE HEARD

THAT IT'S 100 SQUARE MILES.

IN ANY CASE YOU WILL ADMI THAT'S A LOT OF LAND FOR ONE MAN.

WELL, I RUN A LOT OF COWS.

IS IT TRUE THAT OF THIS

VAST AMOUNT OF PROPERTY

YOU ACTUALLY OWN ONLY

A FEW SCATTERED WATER HOLES

THAT ARE FILED ON

EITHER IN YOUR NAME

OR THOSE OF YOUR MEN?

AND THAT BY FAR:

THE GREATER PART OF I STILL BELONGS

TO THE GOVERNMENT.

LEGALLY, YES.

IS IT TRUE, THEN THA MILLION OR MORE ACRES

STILL BELONGING:

TO THE GOVERNMENT,

IS THE SAME LAND FROM

WHICH ANDREW BOGGS

WHO MERELY WANTED 160 ACRES

FOR A HOMESTEAD.

WAS RUN OFF AND:

SEVERELY WOUNDED

BY PARTIES UNKNOWN.

BOGGS WAS NO RUN OFF BECAUSE

HE WANTED TO SETTLE

THE 160 ACRES

BUT BECAUSE OF WHA HE WANTED TO DO WITH THE LAND.

LET'S FORGE ABOUT THIS CASE.

ANDREW BOGGS IS ONLY

A SINGLE MAN,

AND THE COURT HAS

ALREADY DISPOSED OF HIM.

BUT WAITING A THE EDGE OF SALT FORK

TO HEAR THE OUTCOME OF THIS TRIAL

ARE OTHER SETTLERS.

MEN WITH FAMILIES,

WHO'VE DRIVEN THEIR WAGONS

MORE THAN 1,000 MILES

ACROSS THE PLAINS

AND LEFT THEIR DEAD

FROM THE MISSISSIPPI

TO THE RIO GRANDE

ALL WITH ONE PURPOSE-

TO FIND HOMES:

FOR THEMSELVES IN THIS GREAT TERRITORY.

I WANT TO ASK IN THE NAMES

OF THESE FAMILIES

IF YOU WON'T LET THEM SETTLE

UNDISTURBED ON A FEW ACRES

OUT OF THE MILLIONS OR MORE

OF GOVERNMENT LAND ON YOUR RANGE.

CHAMBERLAIN, I HAVE SYMPATHY

FOR THE EARLY PIONEER

WHO CAME OUT HERE

AND RISKED HIS LIFE

AND HIS FAMILY'S

AMONG THE INDIANS,

AND I HOPE I HAVE A LITTLE CHARITY

FOR THE NESTOR:

WHO WAITED UNTIL THE COUNTRY

WAS SAFE AND PEACEABLE

BEFORE HE FILED HIS HOMESTEAD

ON THE RANGE:

OF SOMEONE ELSE WHO

HAD FOUGHT FOR IT.

BUT WHEN THAT NESTOR PICKS

LAND LIKE MY BIG VEGA,

WHICH IS 7000 FEET ABOVE THE SEA

WHICH WAS NATURALLY

INTENDED FOR:

GRAZING LAND, AND ALWAYS WILL

BE GRAZING LAND,

WHEN HE WANT TO PLOW IT UP

TO SUPPORT HIS FAMILY

WHERE THERE ISN'T ENOUGH RAIN

FOR THE CROPS TO GROW,

WHEN HE ONLY KILLS

THE GRASS THAT WILL GROW,

AND THEN, WHEN HIS CROPS

STARVE FOR WATER,

SUPPORTS HIS FAMILY

BY KILLING MY BEEF,

AND BECOMES A MAN WITHOU RESPECT TO HIMSELF

AND A MENACE:

TO THE TERRITORY,

THEN I HAVE NEITHER SYMPATHY

NOR CHARITY.

AND IF I KNOW THE TEMPER

OF THE PEOPLE AROUND HERE

WHAT ANDY BOGGS GO IS JUST A SAMPLE OF

WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF OTHERS

TRY IT.

THEY TOLD ME THERE WAS

NO JUSTICE HERE:

AND THAT YOU DOMINATED

THE COUNTRY.

THEY WERE RIGHT.

WELL, WE WON, JIM.

BOYS, I'VE GOT A TRAIN TO MEET.

JIM! JIM!

JIM!

PARDON, PARDON.

JIM, THE TRAIN

BROKE A RECORD.

I'LL MAKE UP FOR THAT LATER.

OH, I WANT YOU TO MEET A FRIEND

OF MINE, DOC REID.

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