Three men were secured, their services not being urgently
required on the home ranch until the fall branding, leaving only a cook
and horse wrangler to be secured. Inquiry at Culbertson located a
homesteader and his boy, anxious for work, and the two were engaged.

"They're to report here on the 15th," said Joel, on his return. "It
gives us six men in the saddle, and we can get out the first shipment
with that number. The cook and wrangler may be a little green at first,
but they're willing, and that masters any task. We'll have to be patient
with them--we were all beginners once. Any man who ever wrestled with a
homestead ought to be able to cook."

"Yes, indeed," admitted Sargent. "There's nothing develops a man like
settling up a new country. It brings out every latent quality. In the
West you can almost tell a man's native heath by his ability to use
baling wire, hickory withes, or rawhide."

The instinct of cattle is reliable in selecting their own range. Within
a week, depending on the degree of maturity, the herd, with unerring
nutrient results, turns from one species of grass to another. The
double-wintered cattle naturally returned to their former range; but in
order to quicken the work, any beeves of that class found below were
drifted above headquarters. It was a distinct advantage to leave the
herd undisturbed, and with the first shipment drifted to one end of the
range, a small round-up or two would catch all marketable beeves.

The engaged men arrived on the appointed date. The cook and wrangler
were initiated into their respective duties at once. The wagon was
equipped for the trail, vicious horses were gentled, and an ample mount
allotted to the extra men. The latter were delighted over the saddle
stock, and mounted to satisfy every desire, no task daunted their
numbers. Sargent was recognized as foreman; but as the work was fully
understood, the concerted efforts of all relieved him of any concern,
except in arranging the details. The ranch had fallen heir to a
complete camp kit, with the new wagon, and with a single day's
preparations, the shipping outfit stood ready to move on an
hour's notice.

It was no random statement, on the part of the solicitor, that Wells
Brothers could choose the day on which to market their beef. Sargent had
figured out the time, either forced or leisurely, to execute a shipment,
and was rather impatient to try out the outfit in actual field work.

"Suppose we break in