Lesson 1 His Best Friend on the Range

Today the cowboy seems to be giving up wearing the bandanna handkerchief.Perhaps he thinks it makes him look too much like a movie cowboy. Maybe he has found something more useful to take its place. But not long ago, he felt that it was almost as necessary a part of his outfit as a rope. And it had almost as many different uses. He could not get along without it.

Though called a handkerchief, a bandanna was not what we usually think of when we use the word. It was a large, bright square of cloth, made either of cotton or of silk. A silk one was prized above one made of cotton. The bandanna had a solid-color background and was printed with small figures of some sort. The most common color was red, but some bandannas were blue, and some black.

When the cowboy got up in the morning, the first thing he did was to go down to the water hole and wash his face. He used his bandanna for a towel, and then, though it might be wet, tied it around his neck, letting the fold hang down in front so that it looked like a necktie. Dressed in this way, he looked quite neat at breakfast.

One of a cowboy’s jobs was to rope broncos. After he had roped out his bronc and tried to bridle① him, he probably found that the horse had to be blindfolded before he could do anything with it. The bandanna was what he used for a blindfold. When he had mounted②, he took the blindfold③ off the horse and put it again around his own neck.

Perhaps he rode only a short way before he saw a calf ④ that should be branded.Then, in order to keep the calf from kicking, he had to tie its legs together. For this he needed a short piece of rope called a pigging string⑤. If he did not have one handy, he could always use his bandanna. He tied the calf’s legs together with the bandanna and so kept it still while he branded it.

In the summer out on the range the cowboy wore his bandanna to protect himself from the sun. If he was riding away from the sun, he tied it so that it covered the back of his neck. If he was riding toward the sun, he made his bandanna into a half mask.

He tied it so that the fold would hang over his cheeks, his nose, and his mouth. If his business was with a dust-raising herd of cattle, he tied the bandanna in the same way.Then it prevented him from breathing in the dust they raised. In blizzard weather the bandanna kept the cold from his face and ears.

The cowboy spent long hours in the cattle pens. The work there had to be done swiftly, without stopping. Sometimes sweat poured down his face and into his eyes,blinding him. Then, without losing time, he could grab a fold of the bandanna loosely hung around his neck and wipe away the sweat.

Marty, a cowboy, used his bandanna to strain⑥ his drinking water. If the water was muddy or dirty, he spread his bandanna over it and drank through it. The bandanna may have been dirty too, but it was by far the cleanest thing he had. He made a habit of washing it in every water hole he came to. He would let it dry as he rode along, holding it in his hand or spread over the top of his hat. Or, if the day was hot, he wore the wet cloth under his hat to keep his head cool.

The bandanna might also be used as a cup towel or drying rag to wipe dishes with.At other times it was used for signaling, or to tie down a cowboy’s hat when he rode in the face of a windstorm. Occasionally the bandanna made a good sling⑦ for a broken arm or a quick bandage for a wound. It was even used, if the need should arise, as a rope to hang a man with.

Early Irish settlers on the Nueces River in southern Texas believed that a drowned man could be found with a bandanna he had worn. They would throw the bandanna into the river where the man had drowned. They thought that it would float until it came over the body. Then it would sink, marking the spot. And many a cowboy has been buried out on the lonely plains with a clean bandanna spread over his face to keep off the dirt.

Because it was so important in life in the Old West; the bandanna deserves to be called “the flag of the range country.”

(798 words)

Ⅰ . How well did you read?

l. [See the differences.] Among today’s cowboys, bandannas are___________ .

A. more popular than ever before

B. essential for daily living

C. not used very much

2. [Choose the fact.] During branding a cowboy would use his bandanna to___________ .

A. tie a calf’s legs together

B. identify a calf as his own

C. blindfold a calf

3. [Judge from details.] One use for the bandanna not mentioned is___________ .

A. supporting a broken arm

B. carrying personal belongings

C. drying dishes

4. [See the reason.] The bandanna may be called the “flag of the range country”because it was___________ .

A. bright and easily seen

B. useful in so many ways

C. often used for signaling

5. [Give the conclusion] The most important quality of a bandanna was its___________ .

A. cleanliness B. brightness C. strength

6. [Draw a conclusion.] The author describes the method of finding a drowned man as though he___________ .

A. believes it is still useful

B. doubts it was ever used

C. thinks it did not really work

7. [Note the purpose.] Describing the ways the bandanna was used emphasizes the___________ .

A. glamor of the Old West

B. individuality of the cowboy

C. hard life the cowboy lived

Ⅱ. Read for words.

Choose one best paraphrase for the underlined words.

1. But not long ago, he felt that it was almost as necessary a part of his outfit as a rope. (Para. 1)

A. equipment B. a set of clothes C. organization

2. A silk one was prized above one made of cotton. (Para. 2)

A. awarded B. valued C. respected

3. The bandanna had a solid-color background and was printed with small figures of some sort. (Para. 2)

A. numbers B. human forms C. patterns

4. Because it was so important in life in the Old West; the bandanna deserves to be called “the flag of the range country.” (Para. 11)

A. means B. supposes C. has the right

Ⅲ. Writing practice.

Could you summarize at least five usages of a bandanna according to the passages?

LANGUAGE BOX