chased at Dodge, had neither a cripple nor a
stray to bestow, but shared the welcome water and passed on.

One of the purchased herds brought a welcome letter to Joel. It was from
Don Lovell, urgently accenting anew his previous invitation to come to
Dodge and look over the market.

"After an absence of several weeks," wrote Mr. Lovell, "I have returned
to Dodge. From a buyer's standpoint, the market is inviting. The boom
prices which prevailed in '84 are cut in half. Any investment in cattle
now is perfectly safe.

"I have ordered three of my outfits to return here. They will pass your
ranch. Fall in with the first one that comes along. Bring a mount of
horses, and report to me on arriving. Fully half this year's drive is
here, unsold. Be sure and come."

"Are you going?" inquired Dell on reading the letter.

"I am," answered Joel with emphasis.

"That's the talk," said Sargent. "Whenever cattle get so cheap that no
other man will look a cow in the face, that's the time to buy her.
Folks are like sheep; the Bible says so; they all want to buy or all
want to sell. I only know Mr. Lovell from what you boys have told me;
but by ordering three outfits to return to Dodge, I can see that he's
going to take advantage of that market and buy about ten thousand
cattle. You've got the range. Buy this summer. I'll stay with Dell until
you return. Buy a whole herd of steers, and I'll help you hold them
this winter."

The scene shifted. Instead of looking to the south for a dust cloud, the
slopes of the north were scanned for an approaching cavalcade. The last
week admitted of taking an account of the cattle dropped at the new
ranch. From the conserves of its owners, one hundred and four herds had
watered, over three hundred thousand cattle, the sweepings of which
amounted to a few over eleven hundred head, fully fifty of which,
exhausted beyond recovery, died after reaching their new range.

By the end of July, only an occasional herd was arriving. August was
ushered in with the appearance of Bob Quirk, one of the division
foremen, on the upper march. He arrived early in the morning, in advance
of his outfit barely an hour, and inquired for Joel. Dell answered for
the brothers, the older one and Sargent being above at Hackberry Grove.

"I have orders to bring him to Dodge," said Quirk, dismounting. "Make
haste and bring in the remuda. We'll cut him out a mount of six horses
and throw them in with mine. Joel can follow on