All of the territory west of the Rocky Mountains2 was his home. The sky was the roof over his head, and the ground was his bed. He was one of the men who moved west ahead of3 the growth of his country, a pioneer on the back of a half-wild horse. The sun and the wind and the rain and the snow gave his face a leathery4 color and appearance. Whatever the time of year, you'd see cows, calves5, steers6 turn this way and that. Sunburned men in big hats rode horses as though they were part of them, shouting and hooting7 at the cattle8, to keep them under control. This was the cattle drive toward the market, and this was the cowboy at work.
　　The cowboy's clothes—narrow trousers, chaps9, high-heeled10 boots, wide-brimmed11 hat, and neckerchief12—all had practical use. His trousers (dark-blue jeans13) needed to be so tight that no loose cloth would catch on the brush as he rode along. His leather chaps kept branches from tearing his trousers and protected his legs from rubbing during long hours on the horseback. His broad-brimmed hat kept the sun and wind out of his eyes, and the cowboy could wave it to direct the cattle or send signals to far-off14 friends. The high heels on the cowboy's boots kept them tightly in the stirrup15, and length of the boots protected his ankles16 and provided warmth. His neckerchief could be pulled over his face to keep the dust out.
　　The cowboy almost always carried a knife, a gun, and a rope. The knife had different uses; the gun helped to get the cattle moving, and could be used to protect themselves. The rope was the cowboy's most important tool for catching cattle, holding his horse, pulling his wagons across muddy17 places, tying his packs18 in place, and killing snakes.
　　It didn't matter to the cowboy what he got to eat, as long as19 the food was there, and plenty of it. What was important to him was his horse. Apart from20 each other, neither the cowboy nor the horse was of much use in the cattle business. His horse was his love and life. The real cowboy was an unusual man. He had to be so to make a living in those days. He rode into an almost hopeless wilderness using the sun and the stars for his compass, his horse for a friend and transportation, and the entire western United States for his workshop.
　　People today who go to the West can still find many traces21 of the work that man on a half-wild horse has done. He was a special kind of man, the American cowboy.

     落基山脉以西的领土都是他的家园，他以蓝天为房、大地为床。他是这个国家西部开发的先驱之一，是骑在未完全驯服的野马背上的开拓者。风吹日晒雨淋雪飘使得他面容黝黑而坚毅。一年四季无论什么时候，你都可以看到漫山的牛群 —— 奶牛，小牛，还有健壮的公牛。宽边帽下晒得黝黑的人们骑在马上溶入其中，吆喝着，驱赶着，使牛群不出他们的掌控之外。这就是赶牛去集市的场景，这就是以此为生的牛仔。
　　牛仔的一身装束 —— 窄腿裤、皮护腿、高跟靴、宽边帽和领巾 —— 都有实际的用途。裤子（深蓝色的牛仔裤）必须紧身，这样骑行中才不会有松散的布料被灌木丛挂住。皮护腿可以保护裤子不被树枝撕破，双腿也不至于因为在马背上长途跋涉而磨坏。宽边帽既为牛仔的眼睛遮阳挡风，又可以挥动它指挥牛群或向远方的同伴发信号。牛仔靴的高跟使他们稳稳地踩在马镫上，长长的靴身既保护脚踝又可以保暖。领巾则可以蒙在脸上以避尘土。
　　牛仔几乎总是随身携带着刀、 枪和绳子。刀有很多用途，枪则可以用来驱赶牛群和防身自卫。绳子是牛仔最重要的工具，用来套牛、拴马、拖拽泥泞道上的马车，还可以固定行囊和捕杀蛇类。
　　牛仔对吃什么无所谓，只要有的吃，够吃就行。对他而言最重要的是马。干贩牛这一行，马和人缺一不可。马是他的至爱和生命。真正的牛仔可不是常人。在那些岁月里，为了谋生，他也只能如此。驱马进入几乎无望的荒野中，太阳和星星就是他的指南针，马儿既是座骑也是伙伴，整个美利坚的西部都是他的用武之地。
　　今天到西部去的人们仍然能够找寻到许多骑在半驯服的野马背上的人们劳作的痕迹。他们就是昔日的美国牛仔，与众不同的特殊人群。