At the peak of the cowboy era there were probably no more than forty thousand cow hands. Some were drifters; others worked for the same outfit year after year. Their high-heeled boots, ten gallon hats, bandanas, and chaps were practical items in a country of blazing sun, dust laden windstorm, and thorny underbrush. They did carry guns mostly for use against wild animals and snakes or killing diseased or crippled cattle. occasionally in the early days weapons had to be used against marauding Indians and cattie rustlers, but most cowboys probably never took aim at fellow settler in their lives.